Holocaust Memorial Day: Hod Hasharon Mayor's shameful speech

The Mayor of Hod Hasharon, Amir Kochavi, spoke on Wednesday at the Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony held by the municipality. He hinted at the IDF's activities in the Gaza Strip and compared them to the values ​​set by the Holocaust.

"We must never remain silent in the face of atrocities committed against people of other nationalities around the world," said Kochavi, "even if they are committed in our name. Jewish morality dictates, ‘never again’ not only against us, but against all nations, as a moral and ethical imperative of a moral and healthy society."

"Auschwitz was not created by the devil or by God – but by man," Kochavi said, quoting Ka Tsetnik. "Fifty-nine of our brothers and sisters are still in Gaza captivity. Their 'never again' still continues. The lust for revenge, blood, and destruction has never brought back the dead – nor the living."

He added: "As descendants of Holocaust survivors who, together with other pioneers, established the Jewish state, we must ensure that the memory of the Holocaust, the processes that led to it, the legal and ethical justifications given to it, and the silence that accompanied it, all serve as a warning sign to the entire world. For us too, so that we may remember and be careful."

Following public outrage, Kochavi wrote on X: "The ugly responses to my words are intended to make people forget that there are fifty-nine men and women, who have been held hostage in Hamas captivity for 565 days by the Prime Minister, on whose watch they were kidnapped. They must now be returned, in one phase, the dead for burial and the living for rehabilitation. Anything else is diverting attention from the main issue."

Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman attacked Kochavi, saying, "On Holocaust Memorial Day, while fifty-nine hostages are languishing in the inferno of Gaza, the mayor of Hod Hasharon, Amir Kochavi, is inciting against the IDF and is actually siding with the terrorists." Liberman called on Yair Lapid to condemn the speech: "I expect Yair Lapid, whose party Kochavi identifies with, to immediately rebuke these remarks."

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar responded, saying that these comments were "a spit in the face of Holocaust survivors, those who immigrated to Israel, established a state and survived the terrible massacre that was committed by other people." Minister Zohar added: "I have no doubt that the vast majority of Hod Hasharon residents renounce these outrageous statements."

MK Ahmed Tibi Praised Kochavi: “Well done, whoever attacks you today will join you in a few years' time.