Tzur Goldin, the twin brother of the late Lieutenant Hadar Goldin whose body has been illegally held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 2014, spoke at the 17th Jerusalem Conference about three years ago and discussed the necessary war against kidnapping, which seems to be more relevant today than ever.
Goldin began by saying: "Kidnapping is a different type of terror than what we have seen until today. Kidnapping is directed against families and is designed to break up societies. We have become accustomed to a certain security situation, to a certain conduct, we have become accustomed to it being convenient for the captives and the missing to be on the sidelines, and my goal is to explain why dealing with and fighting it is a solution."
"There is a round of fighting, followed by silence, followed by another round and more silence. We have become accustomed to a routine where there is war, generals use threats and politicians tell us that they are hitting Hamas with force. But why are we all cynical in the sense that we do not believe there is deterrence? Because we are used to it. The truth is that what determines wars is neither war nor guns, but the battle between the guns, the battle that is relevant to routine and day to day," as he put it.
Regarding Hamas and the policy imposed on Israel from Gaza, he said: "We need to understand that it defines rules for us. We dance to the tune of its flute, do not respond to its daily routine, and do not understand that it is a sovereign terrorist organization whose goal is to eliminate its targets. Today there is no policy. After establishing a policy there is no more war, there is no more fire. After the policy, the rules are defined, and all of this is treated faithfully."
"The only country in the region that brings change, upgrades, and makes arrangements, is the State of Israel. Israel violates international law. Of course, we are not talking about humanitarian matters, but there is a very clear message here that the one who cares about the residents is the Western world and not Hamas."
Goldin referred to Operation Protective Edge, in which the body of his brother Hadar was kidnapped, and said: "During the operation, we went out, we fought, as in every round, in this round as well. In the end, we had people who were left behind. They don't take this seriously, they don't take him seriously, They don't take the respect for the lives of Israeli citizens seriously. 68 soldiers were killed during “Protective Edge.” What did we get for 68 soldiers? Three and a half years of peace? Three weeks of peace that we are promised? Is that what we are fighting for?”
To conclude, Goldin said: "We are not talking here about Hadar, but about the next soldier, about saving lives. You don't need wars to save lives. You need to deal not with guns but with policies, and above all you need courage. Courage even when the defeatist conception speaks otherwise; courage to stand up at the right time and at the right hour".