Hamas captivity survivor Omri Miran appeared on Thursday evening on the program “Uvda" on Channel 12 and spoke about his attitude toward the disputes among his family members and within Israeli society during his time in captivity.
Miran was asked about the difference between support for the “Families’ Headquarters" and the activities of the “Tikva Forum." He stated that the combination of differing opinions is what led to his release.
“In my view, what freed us more than anything was our democracy," Miran said in the interview. “We have many voices here, and all of them are heard."
He explained that the variety of voices in Israel prevented Hamas from exploiting a single position: “If there had been only one voice pushing the message ‘bring everyone home right now,’ it would have played straight into Hamas’s hands - and we would still be there."
Miran added that the voice calling for decisive military action and settlement also played a vital role in the overall balance against the enemy. “And if the only voice that had been heard was ‘go in hard, break them, and we’ll settle in Gaza,’ they probably would have started shooting us already. There was fear on one side and hope on the other, so it confused them a little. Because they didn’t hear just one voice."
When the interviewer asked about the divisions within the Israeli people, Miran responded with a metaphor from nature: “It’s like saying the rainbow is divided. It isn’t - it’s made up of many colors. And it stands strong on its own. That’s the most beautiful thing in the world."