Honestly with Bari Weiss

‘We’re Releasing Dangerous Terrorists. . . and We Accept the Price’

Feb 20, 2025

Matti Friedman, a Free Press correspondent in Jerusalem, dives into the tragic tale of the Bibas family, kidnapped by Hamas. He highlights the emotional impact of Shiri and her children's fate, drawing parallels to historical horrors. Conversations explore the moral dilemmas faced by societies when confronted with such violence and the resilience of families living under constant threat. Additionally, Friedman critiques the shifting narratives in media regarding Israel, emphasizing the increasing complexity of identity and safety for Jewish communities in a changing political landscape.

38:38

Episode guests

Matti Friedman

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The tragic fate of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were kidnapped by Hamas, symbolizes the enduring horrors of conflict and societal indifference towards innocent victims.

The emotional turmoil within Israeli families, burdened by fear and loss, illustrates the complex price paid for national security amid ongoing violence.

Deep dives

The Tragic Fate of the Bibas Family

The abduction of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, along with their mother Shiri, by Hamas has become a painful symbol of the ongoing conflict, evoking comparisons to historical atrocities such as the Holocaust. After over 500 days of captivity, the family’s fate was tragically confirmed, as their remains were to be handed over by Hamas. This heartbreaking development highlights not only the cruelty of the kidnappers but also the indifference shown by some societal sectors towards the suffering of innocent victims. The case of young Kfir, in particular, has emerged as a focal point, representing the moral dividing line in contemporary conflict, stirring deep sorrow and outrage.

Intro

2min

Hostages and Humanity: The Bibas Tragedy

7min

Living Under Threat: Emotional Resilience in Israel

14min

Navigating Political Shifts and Their Impact on Israel and Jewish Communities

5min

Identity, Media, and the Changing Narrative

4min

Exploring Contradictions in Jewish Narratives and Institutions

6min

I’m sure you remember the images of Kfir and Ariel Bibas.

They were just nine months and four years old when they were kidnapped by Hamas along with their mother, Shiri, on October 7, 2023. It was impossible to look at the image of her shielding them, her eyes full of terror, the children clinging to her, and not think of the Holocaust.

For more than 500 days, people around the world prayed for the safe return of these babies. Our hopes were raised on February 1, when the fourth member of the family—Yarden Bibas—was liberated after 484 days in Hamas captivity.

But as this episode goes live, Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri Bibas won’t be returning home alive. Hamas instead will hand over their remains.

How can Israel live alongside an enemy that kidnaps and murders babies? And what does it mean for us to live in a world, where people in the West tore down posters of the Bibas children.

My friend, Commentary magazine senior editor Seth Mandel, explains why in The Free Press:

“In a better world, the faces of the Bibas children would be everywhere at all times. In the world in which we live, by contrast, posters with those faces get torn down from bulletin boards. . . . The crimes against the Bibas family are indeed the symbol of the anti-civilizational menace that is Hamas—but also of the cowardice of the political and cultural leaders of the enlightened West. . . . It is impossible for the rest of us to pretend that we didn’t see a chunk of society, whether in person or online, rush to cross that line and cheer on the people who kidnapped two babies . . . .Kfir became a symbol because he is the answer to every relevant question about this conflict. His case is the war boiled down to its essence. Kfir is the dividing line. In a better world, there’d be no one standing on the wrong side of it.”

Before the devastating news of the Bibas children broke, Bari sat down with Matti Friedman, Free Press correspondent in Jerusalem. They happened to talk on the very day that Kfir and Ariel’s father, Yarden, was released after being kept in unimaginable conditions. Now Yarden confronts the nightmare that his entire family was murdered.

Bari and Matti talk about the toll of this war, why returning the hostages is so fundamentally important to the future of Israel, about the rise of anti-Jewish hate, and about how to be American, Jewish, and Zionist all at the same time, and how Jews are waking up to a new reality in 2025.

If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today.

Go to groundnews.com/Honestly to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on today’s biggest news stories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices