BLAMING DERMER: 120 Hostage and IDF Families Demand Ron Dermer Be Dropped From California Events

A group of 120 relatives of Israeli hostages and IDF soldiers is calling on the Israeli-American Council to cancel scheduled appearances by Ron Dermer at three upcoming events in California, accusing the former senior Israeli official of contributing to decisions that prolonged the suffering of hostages held in Gaza.

The group includes approximately 60 relatives of hostages and 60 relatives of IDF soldiers, including bereaved families as well as relatives of soldiers currently serving in the Gaza Strip, according to a report by Ynet.

Among those who signed the letter are Jon Polin, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin Hy”d; Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen Hy”d; and Ofri Bibas-Levy, sister-in-law of Shiri Bibas Hy”d and aunt of Ariel and Kfir Bibas Hy”d.

The families are protesting the Israeli-American Council’s decision to feature Dermer as the main speaker at three of its events scheduled to take place in California in September.

In their letter, the families allege that Dermer was one of the most influential voices within Israel’s political leadership in opposing several proposed agreements to secure the release of hostages. They also accuse him of resisting efforts to formulate a plan for governing Gaza after the war.

According to the signatories, those decisions prolonged the suffering of both the hostages and their families and resulted in missed opportunities to bring home captives who were subsequently killed or murdered while in captivity.

The families further contend that delays in reaching an agreement may also have cost the lives of IDF soldiers, some of whom, they argue, might have survived had an agreement been reached earlier.

The letter also sharply criticizes Dermer’s interactions with hostage families, describing his conduct toward them as “dismissive, condescending and disrespectful.”

“For families who paid a direct price for these decisions,” the letter states, providing Dermer with a prominent platform at major Israeli-American Council events “intensifies the trauma, and in many cases the grief that we continue to experience.”

The families are now urging the Israeli-American Council to reconsider its decision and remove Dermer as the featured speaker at all three California events.

{Matzav.com}