The special negotiator on hostages and missing persons in the Prime Minister's Office, Col. (res.) Lior Lotan, who resigned last week, was dissatisfied with how Operation Protective Edge of 2014 ended, and believes that Israel should have been much more aggressive, changing the "prisoner equation." In recordings broadcast on Army Radio Monday, Lotan is heard saying, "I don't think that a war should end with a 2:0 abduction [ratio] by the enemy. If we have one soldier captured, [the war] should end with 200:1 -- if two of ours are captured, 400 of theirs; if three, then 600 [of theirs.]" Lotan is also heard saying that "this isn't to say that this is the answer to the problems, but the equation will be different. The army has suggested a lot of operational ideas ... and I want to fill our bag on the matter of captives." At a later point in the recording, Lotan says, "This is an idea that the IDF must improve on after Protective Edge. The chief of staff has thrown down the gauntlet. The chief of staff is not only committed, he really understands the issue. I think these are things the army should deal with." It was unclear exactly when or in what context Lotan was recorded. Leah Goldin, the mother of Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose remains, along with those of Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, have been held by Hamas since Operation Protective Edge three years ago, was interviewed on Army Radio Monday morning and called Lotan "a dear man." "He was a combat soldier who was wounded in the operation to free [captive IDF soldier] Nahshon Waxman. He worked to free a lot of hostages. He is the best person to free Hadar and Oron," Goldin said. On Sunday, the Goldin and Shaul families expressed their outrage with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who issued a statement saying that the government should wait to replace Lotan until it adopted the recommendations of the 2008 Shamgar committee, which set out a clear policy for Israel on negotiating the return of the missing and fallen. "I would like to thank Lior Lotan for his devoted work. I accept the criticism from the Goldin and Shaul families with understanding and love, and remain personally committed to bringing Hadar and Oron back to Israel, as well as our citizens who are being held captive in the Gaza Strip," Lieberman said. Nevertheless, the defense minister stressed that Israel "must not repeat the mistake" of the 2011 prisoner exchange deal to free Hamas captive soldier Gilad Schalit. "In that deal, we freed 1,027 terrorists, including murderers and their handlers, including the person who funded the kidnapping of the three teens in 2014 and Yahya Sinwar, who is currently the leader of Hamas in Gaza and who is making inflexible demands that are not letting us progress toward any deal," he said. "It's important to remember that 202 of the prisoners freed in the Schalit deal have since been re-arrested by the defense establishment for involvement in terrorism, and 111 are still in prison in Israel. Seven Israelis have been murdered with the direct or indirect involvement of prisoners freed in exchange for Schalit," Lieberman said. "Therefore, before a replacement for Lior Lotan is appointed, it's important to adopt the Shamgar report in full, and in doing so lay out clear boundaries for Israel and its envoys," Lieberman said. Meanwhile, in a separate conversation, Lieberman reportedly told a few close associates on Sunday that "on my watch, there won't be another Schalit deal." "Right now, Hamas' demands are above and beyond," sources close to Lieberman said, adding that "the families' tragedy has been given a cynical spin. This matter will take time. There's no immediate answer. The solution is either to reoccupy Gaza, or give in to Hamas' demands. Everyone is thinking about the Schalit deal, but [Hamas leader in Gaza who was freed under that deal] Yahya Sinwar wants a better one," Lieberman's associates said. Simcha and Leah Goldin held a press conference on Sunday in which they discussed recent developments in the matter of their son and Oron Shaul. Choking up, they said, "our son is not a 'deal.'" Simcha Goldin appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, "You must keep your promise to the Shaul family and to us. Our son is not a 'deal.' I'm asking all the political forces -- don't turn Hadar the hero into a 'price.' Our life is not something that can be discussed in market terms." The distraught parents went on to say: "Even we couldn't find a single bright spot in the defense minister's statement. In effect, he is adopting our approach, and wants to change the equation of deals with the enemy. We are also of the opinion that Israel has agreed to exaggerated deals for the return of soldiers and civilians. Unfortunately, Lieberman is adopting our stance only in part, and gradually. The reason is ... that Israel has a defense minister who is weak and a coward. He's good at words, but weak in deeds." "A defense minister who says things like what was said today has no moral right to make decisions, command an army, or send it into battle," said Simcha Goldin. Oron Shaul's mother, Zehava, also responded angrily to Lieberman's statement: "Unfortunately, the defense minister still hasn't internalized that the lack of action on bringing back IDF soldiers who were defending the citizens of Israel who spent 50 days in bomb shelters is causing the silent majority in the country not to send their children to combat units." The family of Avera Mengistu, an Israeli civilian who is being held captive by Hamas after crossing the border into Gaza in September 2014, is also demanding that Lotan be replaced as soon as possible. "The family demands that a replacement be found immediately and given the tools to act. The government is still responsible for bringing our son back," the family said.
