Tikva forum demands Netanyahu meeting, calls for no negotiation with Hamas

As CIA Director William Burns is set to renew hostage talks in Doha on Sunday, families of the Tikva (Hope) Forum have demanded an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, "The State of Israel is endangering the hostages by negotiating with Hamas."

The Tikva Forum, which represents some families of hostages, sent a letter to Netanyahu demanding an immediate meeting to explain the “great danger in conducting negotiations with Hamas.”

“Our very treatment of Hamas as an organization sends Gaza residents the message that Hamas still controls the [Gaza] Strip,” the letter read.

“The very thought of a deal that doesn't include all hostages inherently endangers our loved ones,” the forum added.

Dealings with Hamas are creating a lifeline for the terror group by treating it as an organization, just at the moment that it is "closer to breaking than ever," said the forum.

"There is no logic to negotiation with Hamas, said the forum, adding that “the hostages don't have time, and we must take a new path to preserve their lives.”

Setting the record straight

The forum demanded that the state create a policy that makes it clear to residents of Gaza that Hamas no longer exists as an organization and asked that the government increase pressure to get to those who are holding hostages and negotiate with them.

The resistance of the Tikva forum to a deal and to negotiation with Hamas is at odds with the opinions of many hostage families and with the stance of the Hostage Family Forum, which represents many of them.

Many families have vocally called for a hostage deal and negotiations with Hamas, saying it is the only way to bring their loved ones home and pointing to the fact that many more hostages have been brought back through negotiations than through military rescues.