I warned Families of Israeli prisonersToday, Monday, the appointment of the leader of the “National Right” party, Gideon Sa’ar, as Minister of Security, considering that this would be tantamount to “signing a death sentence for the detainees” in the Gaza Strip for opposing the proposed prisoner exchange agreement.
While the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted an official in the Prime Minister’s Office as saying that Netanyahu is preparing to dismiss Security Minister Yoav Galant and appoint Sa’ar in his place, Netanyahu’s office denied the veracity of this news, merely saying in a statement: “The publications related to the negotiations with Gideon Sa’ar are incorrect.”
Sa’ar rejects prisoner swap deal
The families of the prisoners said in a statement that appointing Gideon Sa’ar as Minister of Security “would be a clear admission by the Prime Minister that he has decided to finally abandon” the prisoners, explaining that “Knesset Member Gideon Sa’ar has previously clearly and publicly expressed his opposition to the deal to return the detainees and described it as a surrender condition.”
She recalled his statement: “We must not agree to the deal proposed by US President Joe Biden,” and his call for more military pressure on Hamas. She added: “It has been proven beyond doubt that military pressure kills detainees, dozens of them have been killed because of it.”
She pointed out that “only two weeks ago we buried 6 Prisoners Others were killed as a result of military pressure. How long will we pressure them?” she asked of Sa’ar: “Is this the most suitable person to lead the security system?”
She stressed that “Sa’ar’s appointment has only one clear meaning: it is the signing of a death sentence for the detainees.” She continued: “Prime Minister Netanyahu, this is not the time to play chairs and engage in political survival. It is appropriate for you to devote all your time and efforts to achieving the goals of the war and returning all the detainees to their homes.”
Israel holds no less than 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in its prisons, and estimates that there are 101 prisoners in Gaza, while Hamas announced the killing of dozens of prisoners in random Israeli raids.
On more than one occasion, Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced his support for the proposed prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement in Gaza, despite Netanyahu’s opposition to it.
Netanyahu’s personal interest ‘above all else’
In turn, the opposition leader returned Yair LapidOn Monday, he published previous statements by Sa’ar in which he said: “I will not sit in the government with Netanyahu because he represents an approach that endangers the future of the State of Israel. My principles do not allow me to support a leader who puts his personal interest above all else.”
“Any government headed by Netanyahu will survive because of political deals, not because of the public good. I will not participate in this,” Sa’ar added, according to previous statements published by Lapid on the X platform.