"Forging a National Path"
A uniquely personal perspective about the hostage-ceasefire deal.
By Tal Hartuv
Guest Commentary
EDITOR’S NOTE: Today, rather than having one of our columnists weigh in on the hostage-ceasefire agreement announced yesterday, we are including the voice of an Israeli who has a unique perspective. In 2020, Tal Hartuv was brutally attacked by two Hamas terrorists disguised as Israeli police. Tal’s words were first posted on social media after the deal was announced.
I've just been informed that there is a "high chance" that the terrorists who attacked me with a machete and murdered my friend, may be released in the hostage deal.
I'm writing, not for empathy, or to hear ANY political opinion (please don't comment on that), but I would like to connect on a personal level with anyone who stands to "lose or win" from the deal.
By this I mean that I would like to have a conversation with those who have family in Gaza — dead or alive — or parents, siblings or children who have buried their (and our) brave fallen soldiers, or those like me, who are biting their nails to see if "their" savages will walk free.
My intent is only to hear their heart, rejoice with their gains, even if it is at my "loss," or weep for their loss should it be that I "gain" because "my" terrorists stay behind bars.
It's a rough road ahead, but if we buy into the lie that this deal is the worse thing ever to happen to Israel and therefore there is no going back, this inflexibility will forge a vast distance between us as a people.
Not only cannot we afford as much, we will also stumble in our national and spiritual calling as Jews.
Yet if we CAN meet each other while we are all experiencing opposing emotions, by spending time with those who hurt — but for different reasons — we can forge ahead a more wholesome national path.
I am grateful for any connections you may have. Please email be directly at talhartuv18@gmail.com.
TAL HARTUV is a public speaker, author, tour guide, and an educator for Yad Vashem. As a survivor of a barbaric Palestinian machete attack, Tal is convinced that even in the midst of personal or national trauma, it is possible to find hope and ultimately healing.
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