Moshe Ya'alon, Gabi Ashkenazi, Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid of Blue and White
Moshe Ya'alon, Gabi Ashkenazi, Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid of Blue and WhiteFlash 90

The joint memorial concert for Israeli and Arab Operation Protective Edge dead in Kfar Aza on the war's first anniversary became a polemic in the current election campaign due to Benny Gantz's participation in the event.

In light of the claims made in recent days that Gantz was not there at all, Arutz Sheva spoke with Osnat Bartor, the organizer of the concert, who wonders about the doubts raised about Gantz's presence there, a presence that was documented, photographed, and even distributed in the media.

However, she notes that Gantz was one of 1,500 people present at the event. She herself did not invite him, just as she did not invite private figures, but only spread word about the existence of the event. "It was surprising that he came," she says, and related that she did not see him at the event, and only afterwards did she find out that Gantz was present, too, "and that made me happy; our message is a message that everyone can identify with. The way to reconciliation passes through pain, and when people hurt together, human solidarity is created."

According to her, the incident also received criticism from the Left, who claimed it was impossible to compare Israel with the reality on the Gazan side with more than 1,000 dead and hundreds of thousands left homeless.

"I'm glad that Gantz found this message worthy to attend, but I didn't think it was a left-wing event. I regret that the Left has a monopoly on human rights and fairness, and why doesn't the Right fit in? People like Begin had a connection to moral justice and human rights. It was a concert where the only speaker was a girl from Kfar Aza, Stav Kedoshim, who spoke out of the pain she shared with orphans in Gaza. Every person should be able to identify with bereavement."

On Gantz's participation in the event she says "It was a nice anecdote that gave a certain legitimacy to the event." She stresses, however, that she herself does not need legitimacy, certainly not from someone in uniform. As for branding of the event as being linked to the Left, she makes it clear: "Obviously, it was a political event and most of the people in it were on the left side of the map. I'm sorry that the Left thinks it has a monopoly on morality and justice."