Shas’s six ministers will support any deal that brings home the hostages, Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur said in a speech at the Israel Democracy Institute’s Eli Hurvitz Conference on Economy and Society in Jerusalem on Wednesday morning.
According to Ben-Tzur, “It is not the urge for revenge that beats in the hearts of our heroic soldiers, who at this very moment are fighting face-to-face against beasts to bring them home, but rather the fortification of Israel’s security and the return of the hostages that stand before their eyes.”
“The battle for the hostages’ return is the highest priority. It is not the spirit of victory that is our current aspiration, but the restoration of our brothers who are held captive by monsters. This burden falls upon us, on our shoulders, and we will do everything – absolutely everything – to bring them home,” Ben-Tzur added.
“The Jewish people have never sanctified the concept of war itself but rather the sanctity of life. Together, we will offer prayers for their swift return,” he said.
Shas statements contradict Netanyahu, other ministers
The remarks were noteworthy, as they contradicted those of other ministers and of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who several weeks ago said that the ultimate goal of the war was victory over Hamas and not the return of the hostages. The prime minister has since explained that the two goals are “intertwined.”
In response to a question about whether Shas was actively using its political power to push towards a hostage deal, Ben-Tzur said that he was not privy to the details of the negotiations, as he was not a member of the National Security Cabinet.
However, he said that he and the other Shas ministers would follow the orders of Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri, who is a permanent invitee to the security cabinet despite not being a minister.