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Jul 30, 2025
Hostages or Captives?
I need your help on something, dealing with some nuances of Hebrew. I speak Hebrew pretty well but something was said today and I am just not getting the nuance, and it isnt an issue for a dictionary.
Minister Amichai Eliyahu today said in an interview that the hostages should be called "shvuyim" and not "chatufim", and their return should only be dealt with at the end of the war.
Some people are upset about him trying to change the term to shvuyim from chatufim, some think he is right, I just dont get it.
Chatufim means kidnapped.
Shvuyim means captives
Bnei Aruba means hostages.
In English the hostages have always been called Hostages. In Hebrew they have been called Chatufim. So that was always a discrepancy.
Honestly I have thought all along that chatufim is a less than accurate term for the hostages.
Why are some insisting on using the term chatufim, and some prefer to switch it to shvuyim? Technically they should be called Beni Aruba. Shvuyim is pretty close and might even be considered somewhat interchangeable with Bnei Aruba. What is more accurate and what is the big difference if they are called one or the other?
And maybe Eliyahu is right, I dont know, but the response would then be yalla get to work and finish the war, why is it taking so long?
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If the hostages are in Aruba, they may not want to come home.
ReplyDeleteThe war has taken so long because of the hostages. If Israel hadn't cared about them, they would've smashed through most of Gaza by now but the concern about accidentally hitting a hiding spot (as they were already accused of) and the hope that Hamas will surrender slowed things down.
This was one of Bibi's mistakes. Instead of announcing at the start "While the hostages are important, the bottom line is that this is war and we'll worry about the hostages later" he fell for the Left's "It's all about the hostages!" position and now he's stuck. He waged a slow, careful war for the hostages and is getting accused of running a disorganized war with no goals or plan. No matter when (if) he gets the rest back, there will be no thank yous but just more condemnation. Why did it take so long.
I don't envy the guy.
Of course the left has moved on from even pretending that they care about them.
DeleteNo, it's the opposite from what I've seen. The line from the Left is that the entire war has been a waste of time, the IDF has accomplished nothing, Bibi never did and still doesn't have a plan for what to do and all this is to prolong things so the hostages don't get returned and he has an excuse to stay in power. So now it's all about the hostages even to point that if Israel has to surrender to all Hamas' demands, it should just to get them back and if you contest that, you're worse than evil. You're a Bibi supporter!
DeleteThe hatred is breathtaking.
No, since day one they're been using "hostages" as a cover for pushing everything else.
DeleteYou are absolutely right, Garnel Ironheart.
ReplyDeleteEven according to Jewish law, you're not allowed to
put at risk the majority for the minority and, of course,
this is what the pereadam have done for all these years
because they have the upper hand by taking hostages
and they get their murderers back to murder again. It's insanity.
So, if the average person can understand that, then why don't
those in control understand. But, of course, we know they do.
And we see there are so many in the public that see & know nothing.
If the price of Gilad Shalit was this war, imagine the price we'll pay for the hostage exchanges this time.
DeleteI would think this is pretty obvious. "Hostages", in Hebrew or in English, implies that they are there, by definition, to extract concessions from us. This is partially, but not completely, true from the perspective of their captors, who will never willingly release all of them, but certainly there are those on our side who believe, probably correctly, that this should *not* be how they are thought of, for what should be obvious reasons. So "captives" is probably best.
ReplyDeleteחטופים hostages
ReplyDeleteשבויים prisoners of war
so what's the practical difference if we call them one or the other? why do some people care in either direction which title is used?
DeleteDid you see what I wrote just above? "Hostages" means we have to give something up to get them back. For obvious reasons a lot of people don't think that's a good idea.
DeleteSimple, because wars are not fought to release prisoners of war. After the war is won, prisoners of war are exchanged
DeleteYup.
DeleteExcept this time when it's hostages for terrorists.
Delete