The Hug Obsession: A Nation Held Hostage by Its Own Sentimentality

Everyone is talking about the hugs received by the returning hostages. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that, in the history of Western journalism, the word “hug” has never appeared with such frequency and intensity in headlines over such a short period as it has in Hebrew newspapers during the last two weeks. But there is one type of hug no one talks about—one that will never be broadcast in endless media loops: the hugs at funerals and mourning ceremonies. These are the embraces we have condemned orphans and widows to endure, those walking among us today, and the additional ones that will inevitably follow—100% as a result of this deal.

Fools speak of the Holocaust when gazing at the starved hostages, yet at the same time, they are willing to sacrifice thousands, if not more, to save only a few dozen from the Nazi devil, all while ensuring he remains in power hunderds of yards from Israeli Moshavim with this deal they call for. This alone speaks volumes about the moral consistency and logic of those who support this blood-soaked deal.

It's time to admit; a nation that stalks every whisper and movement of its hostages like an obsessive stalker is anything but in a healthy state.

A nation that shapes its policies based on the desperate pleas of psychologically broken individuals in need of medication, such as some of the returned hostages, is nothing more than an immature.

These statements are not intended to express insensitivity; no one doubts that all the hostages must be returned. No person with a human heart remains unmoved by their return. No one can witness their inhumane treatment without distress or fail to wish for an end to their suffering. And yet, their return must be achieved through military means that do not endanger millions of Jews and do not leave Hamas in power as a result.

But that is not the situation in Israel today. The media, politicians, the military, and corporations all see only the yellow ribbon and fail to understand the cost of focusing solely on this issue. They do not realize that the president’s patience and the opportunities he presents will not be here forever.

A nation that is offered the opportunity to transfer two million enemies but instead fixates 24/7 on 80 people—half of whom may already be gone —has very little chance of achieving longevity.

As a historian, I feel as if I am trapped in a national psychosis—one in which the future of the Jewish people, and our collective national consciousness, at such a critical moment while we remain under existential threat, is held hostage by the hostages and their enablers.