John Polin, the father of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin who was murdered in Hamas captivity, wrote on Friday that he hopes "the true story of the failed hostage release negotiations will one day be revealed. I continue to believe that the government never gave the Israeli negotiating team a broad and serious enough mandate."
In a Facebook post, he thanked Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar: "Some members of the Israeli negotiation team pushed hard, but unsuccessfully, for a broader mandate. Thank you, Ronen Bar, for being one of those who did so."
Goldberg-Polin was murdered by Hamas terrorists last August along with five other hostages. He was abducted from the "Death Shelter" after attending the Nova music festival in Re’im. Hamas terrorists filmed him being led, wounded, to their truck—likely injured by a grenade they threw into the shelter.
Polin’s remarks come amid the controversy surrounding Bar's dismissal. In a scathing letter to the government, Bar addressed the circumstances of his removal: "The resolution proposal implies a supposed lack of trust between the prime minister and me over the handling of the hostage release efforts," he wrote.
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"The recent hostage deal materialized due to a unique effort personally led by me, with the prime minister’s knowledge," he added. "The deal was achieved according to the objectives he set, was brought by him for government approval and was endorsed with his support," he added.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar
(צילום: יאיר שגיא, ABIR SULTAN/AFP, shutterstock)
"Given this, the claim of a supposed lack of trust has no basis — unless the real intent, which I may have failed to grasp, was to negotiate without reaching a deal."
Bar also said that sidelining both him and the Mossad chief David Barnea from the negotiations "harmed the team and did nothing to advance the hostages' release. Therefore, the prime minister’s claim in this regard is baseless."
He reaffirmed his commitment to bringing all hostages, both living and deceased, back to Israel, emphasizing that "this is especially critical in the current window of opportunity."