Chairman of the Constitution Committee, MK Simcha Rothman, explained on Monday afternoon to Yaakov Ilon on the Knesset Channel why, in his opinion, it is wrong to watch the hostage videos released recently by Hamas.
He turned to the host and asked, “Yaakov, I’m asking you, did you think it was okay that there are hostages held by Hamas until this video was released? Or are they being treated well? We know the situation, and that’s why we’ve been fighting for almost two years.”
Rothman harshly criticized the mainstream media in Israel: “The absurdity of this event is that there are propaganda channels showing these videos, and immediately afterward, they willingly or unwillingly become partners in Hamas’s starvation campaign. After airing these videos, they echo all sorts of distortions, and are complicit in Hamas’s campaign of starvation.”
“I say, if someone wants to be part of Hamas’s campaign, that’s their choice. But we must free the hostages, destroy Hamas, and win the war. We must ensure that Gaza will be demilitarized. I believe that just as nothing has changed since the first days of the war, nothing has changed now. I’ve seen many hostage families saying that airing these videos is not good,” Rothman declared.
“I’m saying what was completely clear to you, Yaakov, and to anyone involved in public broadcasting — this is Hamas propaganda. If you have decided to change this, explain to the public what has changed since the first months of the war and why now you’re airing Hamas propaganda,” he concluded.