Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern rebuke Wednesday to left-wing critics who have targeted former hostage Noa Argamani and her father for daring to accompany him on his trip to the United States, as if that meant giving him political support.
The Times of Israel noted:
Argamani and her father have faced virulent criticism in Israel for agreeing to accompany Netanyahu on his visit to the US and during his speech to Congress tomorrow; both coalition and opposition lawmakers have condemned the pushback.
Family members of other hostages held by Hamas and others opposed to the premier claimed the Argamanis appearance would bolster Netanyahu, whom many blame for failing to secure a deal to free the hostages after more than nine months of war.
In a post on Facebook Monday, left-wing Haaretz pundit Uri Misgav — a vehement critic of Netanyahu — said that Argamani and her father “should be ashamed of agreeing to serve as decor” for Netanyahu and retired journalist Dan Margalit called Argamani’s presence in Netanyahu’s delegation a “disgrace,” in a tweet to his 164,000 followers.
In a statement, Netanyahu said:
I am shocked by the campaign being directed against Noa Argamani. Noa endured torments in Hamas captivity. She longed to return to her mother before she passed away, and managed to see her. This was not an easy experience.
Now that she has returned and has come, together with the Prime Minister of Israel and the official delegation of the State of Israel, to attend a very important speech before both houses of Congress, there is a campaign against her?
They are telling her ‘It is a pity you left captivity’. Is there no limit to the insanity? There is – this is it. Enough.
As Breitbart News noted, Argamani was rescued along with three other hostages in a daring operation inside Gaza.
Argamani hardly offered full-throated support to Netanyahu on his trip. While deeply appreciative of his efforts to free her and fellow hostages, she said that her darkest moment as a hostage was when she heard news reports that he had said the war would be long. She insisted he do whatever he could to bring home the remaining 120 hostages.
Argamani and her father will be on hand Wednesday when Netanyahu addresses a special joint session of Congress. He met with the families of hostages on Tuesday, and was accompanied on his U.S. visit by wounded soldiers.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
