SAUNDERS: Six hostages are murdered. Put the heat on Hamas, not Netanyahu

WASHINGTON

A reporter asked President Joe Biden if he thought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “doing enough” as the president returned to the White House on Monday. Biden answered, “No.”

Biden added that he was pushing as “hard as we can for a deal” for a cease-fire Gaza that would bring home hostages.

The bodies of six of those hostages were found murdered in a tunnel in Gaza over the weekend, including Israeli-American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23.

Once again, the pressure is on Bibi, and hence on Biden to lean on Bibi — and not Hamas, the terrorist group that killed 1,200 on Oct. 7 and abducted some 251 hostages.

Methinks the very focus of the White House press corps about what Biden will do to force a cease-fire deal lets Hamas off the hook.

Ditto the massive protests in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu.

American billionaire Bill Ackman, whose criticism of university diversity, equity and inclusion policies helped spur the resignation of academic biggies, including Harvard President Claudine Gay, had strong words of advice for activists who took to Israeli streets to protest Netanyahu.

“By protesting Israel’s leadership one day after Hamas executed an American and five Israelis in cold blood, the protesters are rewarding Hamas for their barbaric acts and blaming their leadership for the loss. This is a very bad message to send to terrorists,” Ackman posted on X.

Ackman cautioned, “I fear it will only embolden the enemy to execute more heinous acts.”

During a press event, Netanyahu warned of the consequences of protests and calls for further concessions after the brutal execution of the six hostages.

“What message does this send Hamas?” the prime minister asked. “It says kill more hostages — murder more hostages, you’ll get more concessions.”

Netanyahu was especially critical of the consequences of giving Hamas a win for an international and domestic pressure campaign.

The PM spoke with authority when he said that some critics wrongheadedly claim the Jewish state can leave the Philadelphi Corridor and then return later. “It is not easy to do such a thing,” Netanyahu offered. “It’s not a question of military tactics as it is a question of the great diplomatic pressure that the entire world will use on us. If we leave — we will not go back.”

At Tuesday’s White House press briefing, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre why Biden is “harder on Benjamin Netanyahu than he is on the terrorist leader of Hamas.”

The president, KJP countered, has been “very clear about Hamas leaders and what they have done.” But when she referred to the killings as “a heinous murder,” it was as if she had been searching for the right sound bite. No fire.

Netanyahu used his press event to apologize to the families of the six victims. “I am asking for your forgiveness that we did not manage to bring them back still alive. We were close, but we did not achieve it.”

On Monday Rachel Goldberg-Polin and her husband, Jon, buried their son, Hersh.

“Finally, my sweet boy, finally finally finally finally you’re free,” the grieving mother declared at her son’s funeral. She wore a ripped shirt with the number 332 for the number of days since the Oct. 7 hostages were taken.

She had already told her son, “I no longer worry about you. I know you are no longer in danger.”

Contact Review-Journal Washington columnist Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com. Follow @debrajsaudners on X.