Hostage’s father backs UK recognition of Palestine to pressure Netanyahu
Speaking to Jewish News, Yehuda Cohen urges UK recognition of Palestine to force a ceasefire and free his son
Yehuda Cohen was supposed to be celebrating this week. His son, Nimrod, a 19-year-old tank soldier in the IDF, was set to complete his military service on 4 August and return home to Rehovot to begin civilian life. Instead, Nimrod remains trapped somewhere beneath Gaza, having been abducted by Hamas on 7 October 2023.
Rather than marking the end of his son’s army journey, Cohen is now placing his hopes in a foreign government. He has thrown his support behind the UK’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state – not because he believes in it ideologically, but because he believes it might be the pressure that finally forces a ceasefire and a hostage deal.
“I totally support this act,” he told Jewish News. “Along with France, Canada – whoever. Every potential crane that will get the end of the war, the hostage deal, is something we need to use.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced two weeks ago that the UK will recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel agrees to key conditions, including a ceasefire in Gaza, reviving the two-state solution, and allowing humanitarian aid to flow. The move – coordinated with France – came amid growing international frustration over the stalemate in the war, as well as pressure from within the Labour Party.
“It is my sincere hope that the decision affects the situation on the ground,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the BBC from the UN in New York, “and we get to that ceasefire, we get the hostages coming out as soon as possible.”
For Cohen, that’s exactly the kind of diplomatic leverage needed. He’s pushing for a meeting with Foreign Secretary David Lammy and has already raised the issue with the British ambassador in Israel. “I told him, I want this public. It’s not like I’m supporting behind the scenes. I want it to be public – to increase pressure on the Israeli government.”
On 7 October, Nimrod was stationed near the Gaza border at a post known as the “White House,” as part of a tank crew sent to intercept Hamas fighters invading the kibbutzim. Their tank, Cohen explained, became immobilised after its brakes jammed. Hamas fighters blew it up and dragged the crew out one by one. “At about 12:30 that day, I saw the video Hamas released. The last frame – it’s only 15 seconds – shows Nimrod being dragged. That was the moment I knew my son was kidnapped.”
He still has the screenshots he took before showing them to his wife, Vicky. “Nimrod is a normal boy like every other boy,” he said. “We’re not talking about a rock star or a sports star.”
He’s a normal boy with the misfortune of being kidnapped. And my duty as a parent is to fight for his freedom.
Cohen has become one of the most outspoken voices among the hostage families. He’s marched, protested, lobbied foreign governments and confronted Israeli officials, all while feeling increasingly betrayed by those in power. “We’re concentrating on one thing: to advocate ending the war and getting a hostage deal,” he said. “We’re very frustrated. The international players – the European countries, the UN, the US – have let this drag on.”
He is especially critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who he accuses of prolonging the war for personal survival. “We started to understand that Netanyahu, in particular, was not playing to win – he was playing to delay. To avoid a hostage deal. To avoid criticism. To keep the extremists in his coalition happy.”
To Cohen, this is not politics as usual. “The Israeli state is like a man with brain cancer. The cancer is the ministers and the prime minister. And the treatment – the chemotherapy – has to come from the outside.”
Britain’s announcement, he believes could be a turning point. “It’s not just a declaration of a Palestinian state. It’s a declaration that becomes real only when there is a hostage deal. So, they have to go hand in hand.”
The government’s move has faced fierce backlash from some British-Israelis and the families of hostages, including Emily Damari, a former captive, who called it a “moral failure.” Lawyers for 10 British-linked hostages said the plan risked removing Hamas’ incentive to negotiate. Netanyahu himself slammed the decision as “appeasement,” warning that a jihadist state on Israel’s border today will threaten Britain tomorrow.”
Cohen brushes aside those arguments. “Everything that doesn’t work in their lives, they respond with: it’s a prize for Hamas. It’s a great response. Very mature. Very responsible,” he said with dry contempt.
Even the Civil Headquarters group supporting hostage families, he claims, has become too timid. “They’re not satisfied with the declaration? Fine. But don’t go against it. Don’t speak. It’s not your business to defend the government. You’re supposed to be working for the families.”
What he wants now is outside pressure – real, public, coordinated. “We put all our cards in the American administration. It doesn’t work,” he said. “Now we’re trying to put some of our cards on Europe and the UK.”
For British Jews and the wider public, he has a simple message: criticising Netanyahu is not the same as criticising Israel. “We need the British public to be with us. Not just with the families – with the Israeli people. Pressure on the government is the only thing that can help now.”
He no longer needs to tell Nimrod’s story. Everyone already knows it. “After nearly two years, it’s not the same old story. It’s about the solution. And the solution is known. The only thing preventing it is Netanyahu.”
He isn’t wearing his son’s photo anymore. “Everybody knows who he is,” he said. “I’m going with the slogan: ‘Ceasefire and hostage deal.’ That’s what we want. Everything rolls from that.”
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