Hod Hasharon Mayor Ami Kochavi sparked a political firestorm Wednesday night with remarks delivered during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event, where he appeared to link current Israeli actions to the potential for committing atrocities, warning of a “lust for revenge” as hostages remain in Gaza.
“Jewish morality dictates, ‘Never again’ — not just to us, but to all peoples, as an ethical and moral command on a just and healthy society,” Kochavi said during his address.
He continued by cautioning that moral clarity demands speaking out against abuses worldwide, regardless of who is responsible. “We must not be silent in the face of atrocities carried out against people of other nations in the world — even if they are carried out in our name,” he stated.
Drawing attention to those still in captivity, Kochavi said, “59 of our brothers and sisters are still held hostage in Gaza. Their ‘never again’ is still ongoing,” referencing the living and deceased held by terror groups. He added, “And the lust for revenge, for blood and destruction won’t bring us back the dead, or the living.”
Reflecting on history and responsibility, he said, “As the descendants of survivors of the Holocaust, who together with other pioneers founded the State of the Jews — it is incumbent on us to ensure that the memory of the Holocaust, the steps that led to it, the legal and ethical justifications that were given to it, and the silence that accompanied it — all of them will be made into warning signs to the entire world, and also to us, to remember and to warn.”
Kochavi’s speech, which lasted six minutes, included a moving quote from a Holocaust survivor who lost grandchildren in the Hamas assault on October 7, 2023. He described the country as “at war” on multiple fronts and underscored the urgent need to bring home the hostages.
Though Israel firmly rejects accusations of genocide in Gaza, the speech came amid global scrutiny and quickly gained traction in Israeli media and social platforms, igniting fierce backlash from politicians.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar condemned the speech on X, writing, “The embarrassing words of the mayor of Hod Hasharon are a spit in the face of Holocaust survivors — those who immigrated to the Land of Israel, established a state and survived the terrible massacre committed by ‘other peoples.’” He added, “I have no doubt that the vast majority of Hod Hasharon residents repudiate these outrageous statements.”
Energy Minister Eli Cohen joined the criticism online, accusing Kochavi of undermining Israel’s military. “The same hatred of Jews that led to the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis and their helpers, still flows in the blood of our enemies, whom the soldiers of the IDF are fighting at this very moment,” Cohen wrote.
Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman also slammed the remarks, tweeting, “On Holocaust Remembrance Day, while 59 hostages languish in the hell of Gaza, the mayor of Hod Hasharon, Amir Kochavi, incites against the IDF and actually sides with the terrorists.” He urged Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, with whom Kochavi is politically aligned, to publicly denounce the statements.
In response to the uproar, Kochavi took to X on Thursday to defend himself, condemning what he described as political manipulation. “The ugly spin” being spread, he wrote, aims to distract from the real crisis. He stressed, “There are 59 hostages who have been held captive by Hamas for 565 days and the prime minister on whose watch they were kidnapped.”
“They must be returned now, in one fell swoop. The dead for burial and the living for rehabilitation. Anything else is a distraction,” Kochavi concluded.
{Matzav.com}