This mother is risking her abducted son, and in the face of her messianism, good manners take second place
What abducted person would want to be a citizen of this regime? When the government and the army kill their hostages, it is infinitely more blatant than Elgarat
By Rogel Alpher • Translated by Sol Salbe
Danny Elgarat stands out among in the ins and outs of abductees’ families discourse; he’s Itzik’s brother, who was abducted from Nir Oz and died in captivity. His anti-Bibiist and atheist voice is sharp and biting, totally unique in the landscape, as it is anchored in a liberal worldview that does not bow to the right-wing religious consensus. Elgarat has a big atheist mouth. In his response to an interview with the messianic Ditza Or, the mother of the abducted Avinatan, he grossly violated the rules of the game in the Israeli mainstream by declaring, without saying something soft and gentle or resorting to apologetics, “I would not want to be Ditza Or’s son.”
In her interview, Or argued that “this idea of bringing everyone back is unrealistic. It’s a fiction. It’s a fantasy that we are being sold.” She called for the resumption of fighting in Gaza and stated that only if the IDF “takes territory from them” and starves the Gazans, will Hamas get down on its knees and beg for a deal. When asked if she had taken into account that Hamas might exact the price from her son in response, she insisted that ending the fighting was a “huge public fraud.” Lucy Aharish gave her every possible opportunity to retract or qualify her words. But the clear impression was that Or understood what she had said and was willing to risk her son’s life.
Elgarat said that according to the pathologist’s findings, his brother died of starvation, because he had to constantly flee from IDF fire in the tunnels. His brother-in-law died directly from the Air Force bombing. Therefore, the call for the resumption of fighting and the starvation of the Gazans testifies to Or’s willingness to knowingly risk her son’s life. Elgarat also pointed to the reason for the willingness: “Everything is mixed up with her messianic faith.” She turned the earth into God, he said. And her political co-thinkers , “are willing to endanger their children as well.”
What abducted person would want to be a citizen of this regime? When the government and the army kill their hostages, it is infinitely more biting than Elgarat
Lior Ackerman, a former senior Shin Bet official, used a harsher and more precise word that Elgarat alluded to. The Messianics are willing to “sacrifice the lives” of their children, he asserted, stressing that there are no military measures capable of eliminating Hamas before it eliminates the hostages. This is not a personal indictment against Or, but a rare ideological indictment in the mainstream media against the messianic ideology that Or spreads as a mother of an abductee. If Elgarat continues his courageous attack on messianism, he will not be invited to the TV studios again. Aharish’s response, made it clear that she and her editors at the control room were frightened by him and wanted to disavow his words.
Or complained about Elgarat and demanded that “the studio ensures that I get my due respect.” Elgart refused to back down. In the battle against messianism, there is no place for good manners. “It’s possible that her son hears her in captivity and is satisfied and wants to be her son,” he explained, “I, if I were there, I wouldn’t want to be.” His words also apply to Netanyahu and [new Chief-of-Staff] Zamir. What abducted person would want to be a citizen of this regime? When the government and the army kill their hostages, it is infinitely more blatant than Elgarat.
