Simha and Leah Goldin, parents of killed-in-action IDF soldier being held in Gaza Lieutenant-General Hadar Goldin, sent a personal letter this morning to all the ambassadors of the countries participating in the Bahrain conference and to the UN envoy to the Middle East. "Before the world can commit itself to improving the lives of the Palestinians, the soldiers must be returned to proper burial. "Almost five years ago, our son Hadar Goldin was murdered by Hamas and his remains seized in violation of an internationally sanctioned humanitarian ceasefire," the parents said. "Hamas is also in standing violation of the obligation to respect the human dignity and remains of the deceased and standards for proper burial in Islamic law as well as the violation of our rights to have the remains of our son repatriated for proper burial under Jewish law." Goldin's parents asked the representatives to act to advance the return of the fallen and the civilians being held. "As you gather to discuss building a path to prosperity for the Palestinians, they must first bring this long standing violation of international humanitarian law to an end. The return of Hadar Goldin for burial in his homeland is of the utmost importance to the nation of Israel and has been embraced by law abiding nations around the world. We implore you, as you join in this historic conference, please demand an end to our family’s suffering and a longstanding injustice by helping bring our son home," the letter concluded. Hadar Goldin Courtesy of the family The letter in its entirety : " To: Mr. Nickolay Mladenov UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process "In the coming days, representatives of the leading nations of the world will gather in Bahrain to discuss the prospects for a better future for the Palestinian people and ultimately the greater Middle East. We fully support this lofty effort; we hope this conference is a success and will engender a process that brings prosperity to the Palestinians. As your nation joins with others to envision a brighter tomorrow, there is an essential step that must be taken at the start of these efforts. Before the world can fully commit to empowering Palestinian society, the Palestinian leadership must take critical action to demonstrate that they are prepared to accept the unprecedented efforts being made on their behalf. To show the world that the Palestinians are ready to take their place amongst the law abiding nations, they must first return the fallen soldiers and civilians that they have illegal detained for years. "Almost five years ago, our son Hadar Goldin was murdered by Hamas and his remains seized in violation of an internationally sanctioned humanitarian ceasefire. An additional fallen soldier and two innocent civilians are being illegally held in Gaza. Hamas is violating the fundamental principles of human rights and human dignity. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law obligations states that the remains of the deceased must be treated with respect and honourably interred, thereby presupposing the obligation to repatriate the remains of the deceased. Hamas is also in standing violation of the obligation to respect the human dignity and remains of the deceased and standards for proper burial in Islamic law as well as the violation of our rights to have the remains of our son repatriated for proper burial under Jewish law. "We are appealing directly to you and your nation to help end this international crisis. Earlier this month, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2474: Protection of civilians in armed conflict - Missing persons in armed conflict. It stated that the return of missing persons can “contribute to the process of confidence building between parties to armed conflict, expediting peace negotiations and settlement, transitional justice processes, reconciliation, peacebuilding and sustaining peace.” As you gather to discuss building a path to prosperity for the Palestinians, they must first bring this long standing violation of international humanitarian law to an end. The return of Hadar Goldin for burial in his homeland is of the utmost importance to the nation of Israel and has been embraced by law abiding nations around the world. We implore you, as you join in this historic conference, please demand an end to our family’s suffering and a longstanding injustice by helping bring our son home. "Warmest regards, Leah and Simha Goldin "
