Haaretz opinion: ‘No government has the right to traffic in the lives of innocent civilians’

An opinion piece published in Haaretz states that "bringing back Israelis doesn’t tip Israel’s priorities" and that “the government seems to have decided to apply the so-called Hannibal Protocol, which allows risking abductees’ lives, to the 150 captive and missing Israelis”.

The opinion piece lists how Israeli officials and ambassadors said that the hostages’ situation was not going to stop them from doing what they need to do “to secure the future of Israel”.

“The government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must not try to save Israel’s battered national honour, and that of the army, on the backs of helpless babies, children, teenagers, elderly people and parents, or on the backs of their families here in Israel, who are going crazy with worry and pain,” the article reads. 

“No government, and certainly not the most reckless government in Israel’s history, has the right to traffic in the lives of innocent civilians and decide to sacrifice them on the altar of national pride. We must pay whatever is demanded, with no delays, no fancy manoeuvring and no tricks,” the article added.