Families of terror victims protest the release of their murderers in Tel Aviv. Photo: Orit Zehavi / Tazpit News Agency.

JERUSALEM – Amid conflicting reports on the Israeli government’s intentions to release a fourth wave of Palestinian terrorists as part of peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, families of terror victims have not lost hope in their fight against what they believe is a destructive move for Israel, physically and morally.

Protesting in front of the Prime Minister’s office, Gila Molcho, sister of Ian Fienberg, who was hacked to death in Gaza in 1993, told Tazpit News Agency: “Ian’s murderers have already been released. They were sentenced to 90 years; one was let out in the first wave of releases, the other one in the second wave. Someone who was involved was released as part of the deal to release Gilad Shalit. On a personal level, my family has gone through this again and again; we are trying to relearn how to breathe.”

The family’s pain is immense, and yet Gila believes that the issue is much broader and significant than just her personal suffering. “This is much bigger than our personal level, it’s on a national level – how can we give away the most important thing we have – sacred Jewish blood?! We’re giving away our soul as a gesture. My brother believed in justice, he was a lawyer, he worked for people, with people, and he was murdered by a man who knew him, just because he was a Jew. How can we let someone like that out as a gesture, and everything in this country carries on and there’s nothing happening?!”

“Those of us who understand what’s happening either don’t have the energy left or are just powerless to get everybody to get out to the streets and scream that a terrible injustice is being done here. [By letting out terrorists] we’re increasing terror. Those who are let out become celebrities, and the only way to remain a celebrity is to carry on preaching hatred and terror. My kids are telling me that they hear the message that is being sent from our government – that Jewish blood is not important anymore, you can give it away as a gesture, and that is a terrible thing for our youth to hear.”

Molcho believes the entire country should be up in arms on this issue. “So where is everybody?? I want everybody to stop saying ‘Oh, that is terrible injustice but there’s nothing we can do about it,’ and to actually get up out of the chair and go stand in the middle of the street and say, ‘We are not going to let out anymore murderers.’ That is the only way Prime Minister Netanyahu will be able to say ‘my nation is not going to allow this to happen’ and then maybe it won’t happen.”

The pain, Molcho says, is enormous: “On a personal level, the families… are being left on our own. I mean, everybody carries on with their life and we have to somehow deal with this on our own.”