Razi Barkai
Razi Barkaiצילום: משה שי, פלאש 90

IDF Radio news talk show host Razi Barkai issued what some might call an apology Sunday, for the comparison he made last week between the mothers of IDF soldiers whose bodies are being held by Hamas, and the mothers of Arab terrorists, whose bodies are held by Israel after they commit terror attacks.

Barkai said that he is sorry if anyone was offended by what he said but added: "I cannot lie and say that I take back what I said."

As if to drive home his original point, he then addressed another comment to "the bereaved families": "I embrace all of you, regardless of differences in color and politics. The bereavement is both here and on the other side of the fence. The feelings of bereaved parents here and there cannot be measured."

He denied that by comparing the grief of Israeli soldiers' families to that of terrorist families, he was comparing IDF soldiers to terrorists, justifying terror acts or expressing understanding toward them. Anyone accusing him of this is acting out of "evil motives," he said.

Barkai came under fire for the statements and did not make things better when he spoke on air with the father of Hadar Goldin Hy"d, an IDF soldier whose body is being held by Hamas.

The uproar over his statement may or may not be connected with news that nationalist journalist Erel Segal is joining the ranks of IDF Radio, and will receive one of the two morning hours that are currently occupied by Barkai's show .

Barkai reportedly threatened to resign over this impending downgrade in his status.

Channel 2's leftist foreign affairs correspondent Arad Nir tweeted in defense of Barkai on Saturday night that "we need to internalize that there are humans on the other side, not animals."

The same channel's nationalist-leaning political correspondent Amit Segal replied: "Zoology aside: in 1987, Shalom Hanoch sang: 'You  know that the enemy is just like you; he's in no hurry to commit suicide, just like you.' Since then, 652 suicide terrorists have blown themselves up."