Lior Lotan, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s envoy for missing persons, have offered to step down following the damaging Channel 10 News report against him. The news story details how Lotan threatened the family of Avraham Mengistu, who has been missing in Gaza for about ten months. While Lotan has since apologized to Avraham’s parents during a visit to their Ashkelon home, he has since offered to step down from his post due to the negative publicity surrounding his actions. After complying with an official request to keep the case silent, the family finally speaks out after 10 months, showing in the eyes of many how the government has ignored the plight of the Ashkelon resident believed to be in Gaza.

Lotan advises the family to keep the matter quiet after they spoke on the phone with PM Netanyahu. He warns them that any effort to connect between this case and recent protests by the Ethiopian community in Gaza will result in Avraham remaining in Gaza for another year. Lotan refuses to respond to a number of questions from the concerned parents, including if direct talks regarding their son were ever held with Hamas officials. Lotan was opposed to a request from the family to document the meeting, explaining he does not document such meetings.

Among the questions raised by the family now is if the lack of action towards bringing Avraham home is due to racism, the fact that the missing man is a resident of the Ethiopian community and not a white resident of N. Tel Aviv. The family’s harsh words led to PM Netanyahu visiting them at home for a first time before Shabbos.

Lotan’s wife Shlomit used Facebook to defend her husband’s actions, trying to explain the case is difficult and complex and at times, he must be stern in order to do what is best towards returning the missing person back to his family alive and well.

Lotan is a retired IDF colonel and viewed as one of the world’s foremost experts in hostage negotiations according to the International Institute for Terrorism website.

Recording to the damaging recording in Hebrew:

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)