Goldin family petitions High Court against PM, Security Cabinet
Family of fallen soldier being held by Hamas says special ministerial committee on POWs and MIAs hasn't convened since January 2017, demands discussion of the committee before signing any agreement with the terror group.
Furthermore, Simcha and Leah Goldin claim in the petition, the special committee hasn't given the family any updates on their son's case since November 2016.
The special ministerial committee on MIAs and POWs was established by the Cabinet on June 30, 2016, after the ministers approved the reconciliation agreement with Turkey, which did not include a clause requiring Ankara to use its clout with Hamas to return the bodies of Goldin and another soldier who suffered a similar fate, Oron Shaul, for burial in Israel.
The special committee, which is headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu, also includes Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon. It was this committee that recommended to the Security Cabinet in January 2017 to make a series of decisions to put pressure on Hamas.
The Goldin family asked the High Court to issue an injunction that would prevent any action to advance an agreement with Hamas in Gaza until the special committee convenes to discuss returning to Israel the remains of the soldiers and Israeli citizens believed to be alive.
"The petition does not target one decision or another, but rather the prime minister's intentional halt to convening a committee meant to discuss and make crucial decisions. The Israeli government has turned the committee into an Isra-bluff," the petition notes.
The Goldin family said that "We recently learned that as part of the hollow declarations that the government is doing all it can to return the boys from Gaza, even the special committee appointed by the Cabinet, which is headed by Netanyahu, has stopped its activities. Not convening the committee on a regular basis, particularly at this time when there are discussions on conditions for an agreement and capitulation to Hamas, is another proof the Cabinet has decided to betray the values of the IDF and to continue abandoning soldiers in Gaza."
The Goldin family also protested Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's decision to ease some restrictions on Gaza, saying, "730 trucks will pass through Kerem Shalom today on their way to Hamas in Gaza. Can you please ask Netanyahu and the Cabinet ministers what Israel is getting in return? And did it even ask for something?"
