Vivian Bercovici: I am in Israel. The country is vibrating with conflicting emotions
Sdrerot, Israel — Their appearance on this stage, after two years of unending agony, penetrated the soul of this country. They did not hide their compassion and empathy for the hostages, as well as Israelis and Palestinians. They acknowledged the carnage and spoke eloquently of their commitment to do everything possible to end it. Everywhere.
When Witkoff took the stage, he began by mentioning “Prime Minister Netanyahu.” For several minutes, many in the crowd booed and shouted, “Shame! Shame!”
Some found this rude and damaging. Most importantly, they say, it shows the enemy, Hamas, that we remain a deeply divided nation. But honestly, that is no secret.
As for the matter of manners, I’ll withhold comment and judgment. The hatred of Benjamin Netanyahu among many is visceral.
It is important to note that neither Prime Minister Netanyahu nor Ron Dermer, the minister responsible for hostage negotiations, appeared last night in Hostages Square. That’s not a particularly friendly venue for them, but nor did they meet privately with the hostage families. Nor did they speak with them by telephone. Such incomprehensible callousness has been typical for the last two years.
In contrast, among Israelis, President Donald Trump has become an almost mythical figure blessed with a common touch. He has been so deeply moved by the plight of the hostages and their families; since taking office Trump has supported and interacted with them so naturally. Honestly. Pledging repeatedly to end their misery.
And it seems he has delivered.
The speed with which this deal came together was jaw-dropping. Following the Israeli strike on a Hamas meeting house in Doha, Qatar, the international isolation of Israel intensified.
In this very dark moment, President Trump and his closest advisers saw an opportunity to demonstrate his foreign policy doctrine: power through strength.
He has demonstrated repeatedly that he is not an entrenched isolationist. And that he is an exceedingly clever negotiator.
Trump maximized his leverage over each party engaged in the bitter conflict, appealing to their self-interest to reset the regional balance of power. Turkey wanted sanction relief. Egypt wanted military assistance. Qatar wanted enhanced security guarantees and an apology from Israel for the Doha attack. Israel wanted its hostages – alive and murdered in captivity – returned, and an end to Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip.
Broad principles were agreed upon but the condition precedent to moving on to rebuilding and rehabilitation of the Strip was the release of all Israelis, and the one Nepalese hostage.
President Trump is expected to land at 11 a.m. (4 a.m. EST) on Monday in Israel for four hours. Plans – as they now stand – are to whisk him to the Knesset in Jerusalem to meet there with hostage families and captives released in previous deals. He will then address the Knesset plenum. And I am certain that there will be a few unannounced stops, possibly at one of the three Tel Aviv-area hospitals where the hostages will arrive by helicopter from an IDF base abutting the border with Gaza.
And Trump will be received like the hero he is for his extraordinary work in expertly using American power without firing a single bullet.
Last night, I attended the support rally held in Carmei Gat, a newly built community in southern Israel where most of the surviving families from Kibbutz Nir Oz now reside. Usually, their Saturday rallies are small, with perhaps several hundred people. Unlike in Tel Aviv, these gatherings are more intimate, attended mostly by members of the kibbutz, their families and friends. But last night, there were thousands. People travelled long distances to stand in solidarity with the Nir Oz community which has been torn apart like no other.
One in four kibbutz members were either murdered on October 7 or taken hostage. Or both. Some of the most brutal incidents transpired there. A young family with three children aged 2 to 6 was incinerated together in their safe room. Shiri Bibas, the young mother whose horror – captured on a Hamas go pro camera – has become iconic. In the famous photo, she is holding her two orange-haired boys, aged 8 months and almost 4 years, while surrounded by masked, maniacal terrorists, shouting in Arabic. Shiri and her babies were kidnapped, and murdered approximately one month later.
Last night, Silvia Cunio was present; the mother of four young men. Two of her sons, David and Ariel, have been Hamas captives for two years. Sagui Dekel-Chen, released last winter, spoke to the crowd. He was badly wounded before being taken hostage, leaving behind two little girls and his wife, Avital, seven months pregnant.
As in Tel Aviv, the hostility towards Netanyahu was barely contained. Several spoke fiercely of the imperative of fighting to restore the values upon which the state of Israel was founded: service, collective responsibility, and ensuring our security. This was a direct rebuke of Netanyahu.
For two years, Netanyahu has lashed out at so many public officials while refusing to acknowledge any responsibility on his part. He sits atop the pyramid. Israeli society will not allow him to forget that with power comes responsibility.
In addition to prevailing upon the Arab nations to make concessions for peace, Trump made it very clear to Netanyahu that he was running out of runway for his never-ending war. Israel was on the verge of becoming an international pariah state. Trump wanted to right that ship.
The U.S. president also understood that more than 65% of Israelis were desperate for the war to end and the hostages to come home. Netanyahu had lost credibility. His actions diverged dangerously from what Israelis wanted. Even the IDF chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, clashed with Netanyahu and his cabinet over so many fundamental policies, including the latest offensive on Gaza City.
There was optimism Saturday night, but it was mixed with rage, which seeped through in the remarks of many speakers. Family members of those murdered in captivity are braced for the possibility that their loved ones’ remains may never be recovered.
And each one said: We wait, still, for answers. Where was the IDF? October 7 should never have happened.
Israelis are demanding that a State Commission of Inquiry be convened with full judicial powers; and one over which Netanyahu has no control. The Prime Minister dismisses such initiatives as being unnecessary.
But the people want and deserve answers. Not revenge. But accountability. And they will have it. Eventually.
First, let them come home. In that, we are united.