“Are you sure you can't sleep well at night?” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich asked the war ministers, referring to the video of a female soldier being kidnapped from Nahal Oz on October 7. Two weeks later, Defense Minister Yoav Galan tried to persuade his ministers to watch the video, but was refused. . Only Chili Tropper agreed to watch. The rest of the Cabinet, including Dichter, Katz, Levin, and Cohen, all refused, citing the excuse that they had not “coordinated with us beforehand.”
I was shocked when I read this. I haven't slept well at night since October 7th. I can't sleep every day because of the sight, my worry for the hostages and soldiers, and my sadness for my students and their families who died in action. However, Smotrich chooses not to see his daughters kidnapped by bloodthirsty terrorists because he only wants to take care of himself.
In fact, his entire philosophy is tied up with this self-centered and detached judgment. He chose to be disconnected from the pain of the hostages and their families, to be disconnected from the pain of the Israeli people, to be disconnected from a human, security, legal and public perspective.
Israel needs strong and capable leaders in its government
Elected officials cannot choose whether to watch the video or not. You can't choose disaster. They cannot decide what they are comfortable dealing with and what they are not comfortable dealing with. They were chosen to serve the nation of Israel, for better or for worse. That's what they were hired to do. If you cannot face the painful moments of your country's history, you are not qualified to lead your people. They must acknowledge their limitations to make way for those who can roll up their sleeves and face reality.
Hamas videos are conclusive evidence of crimes against Jews and the state of Israel. In the future, they will be used as a trump card in trials against Hamas for crimes against humanity, in addition to terrorist testimony. Until that happens, these videos and testimonies can be used for Israeli propaganda every day, anytime, anywhere in the world.
That is why Foreign Minister Israel Katz should watch this video and ensure that all foreign embassies in Israel, along with all their staff, gather to watch this video and inform their countries. We have to make sure that the heads of the world's most prestigious universities also see this video. Otherwise, we will continue to allow supporters of terrorism to shout “We are Hamas” on the lawns of college campuses.
Anyone who can't watch videos because it disrupts their sleep is not fit to serve this country or our nation. They must relinquish the position to a competent person and quickly.
