Father of fallen soldier held in Gaza slams government inaction

The parents of fallen IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, whose bodies are still held by Hamas in Gaza since their deaths in the 2014 war in Gaza, rail against Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman for insisting earlier today that he would not agree to a prisoner exchange in which Israel releases Palestinian security prisoners.

“Liberman violated his committed to the IDF’s code of ethics” by writing off any viable prisoner exchange, Simha Goldin, Hadar’s father, charges in a live statement to the press broadcast on Channel 2.

He then addresses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Israel’s policy to the missing [in action] was set long ago by prime ministers. It’s part of the responsibility of the job. I turn to Prime Minister Netanyahu and say there must be a new coordinator appointed immediately.”

The former coordinator for talks with Hamas over a prisoner exchange, Lior Lotan, announced last week he was leaving the post after three years on the job.

“You, prime minister, must fulfill your promises to us and our children. Our son, Hadar, is not a ‘deal,’ but a hero. Don’t turn him into a ‘cost.’ This is not a trading floor,” Goldin says.

He adds: “We demand an entirely new equation: pressure on Hamas. You have to do one of two things, either a prisoner exchange, or pressure on Hamas.”