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By Pesach Benson, TPS
Speaking at the funeral of murdered hostage Oded Lifshitz, Israeli President asked forgiveness from the family and Kibbutz Nir Oz, and reiterated calls for a commission of inquiry on Tuesday.
“I stand here, facing the foothills of your land, and as the President of the State of Israel, on behalf of the State of Israel – I ask you – beloved Oded, respected and from your dear family – forgiveness. Forgiveness that the State of Israel did not protect you, your family and your kibbutz. Forgiveness that you are forced to stand alone in the face of human monsters. Forgiveness that we did not have time to save and return you and all your friends – from the jaws of the murderers, here, home, in peace. Forgiveness,” Herzog said.
“I humbly ask for this forgiveness from you too – the brave and noble friends and members of Kibbutz Nir Oz. As the President of the State of Israel, I ask in this painful and agonizing situation to bow my head to you too and ask forgiveness from all of you: Forgiveness that we were not here for you on that cursed day. Forgiveness for the omission and the eclipse of the lights that you paid, and we all paid, such a terrible price.”
His wife, Yocheved was also abducted from their home on the kibbutz. She and hostage Nurit Cooper were freed after 17 days of captivity.
“Our abduction and your death shake me to the core. We fought for years for peace and social justice – unfortunately, we were dealt a harsh blow by the very people we helped on the other side,” Yocheved said.
Herzog also renewed his call for a commission of inquiry to investigate the failures that led to Hamas’s attack on October 7.
“I once again call for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, which is the royal road of a reformed state – to delve boldly and professionally into everything that caused the failure and the terrible disaster. This is a critical milestone in the journey towards healing, rehabilitation, and building the state and society – after the terrible disaster,” he said.
There have been growing calls for the government to appoint an independent commission of inquiry to investigate political and military failures.
Such commissions have broader authority to summon witnesses and collect evidence and are headed by a senior Supreme Court justice. They may include personal recommendations about individuals under investigation, though the government is not bound to act on the recommendations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other government ministers say a state inquiry into failings that led to Hamas’s October 7 attacks should only be held after the war. Critics accuse Netanyahu of delaying the inquiry and trying to water down the powers of a commission.
The last state commission of inquiry, which investigated Israel’s worst civilian disaster — a stampede that killed 45 people at a holy site on Mount Meron — held Netanyahu personally responsible for the tragedy in a report released in April.
The military presented its own inquiry to Defense Minister Israel Katz. That probe only dealt with operational and command issues and not political decisions.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 63 remaining hostages, 36 are believed to be dead.
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Oded Lifshitz was a USEFUL IDIOT. Herzog is complicit.
Lifshitz was not a “useful idiot.” He was a tzadik. Somehow I doubt he would have felt his good deeds were unjustified given his fate.
May his memory be for a blessing.
Over fifty years ago, the army told PM Golda Meir that the Arabs were going to attack. She did nothing. She remembered the flack Israel took before the six day war when it attacked before the Arabs could attack. Must show the world how ‘holy’ Israel was. We knew what happened. Don’t be surprised if the 10-7-2023 attack is a repeat of the Yom Kippur war. Fearing flack, the Israeli government did not do much. Crazy? It took 8 hours for the IDF to get to the south. Explain why.
Lifshitz was not a “useful idiot.” He was a tzadik. Somehow I doubt he would have felt his good deeds were unjustified given his fate.
May his memory be for a blessing.
Even a tzadik can be a useful idiot. The two are not mutually exclusive. The entire class of “peace” activists were useful idiots. They believed religiously in ideas that had been repeatedly and at the cost of many, many Jewish lives, proven disastrous. They refused to listen to any dissenting views which in the end have been proven right over and over again. Worse, they vilified anyone and everyone that refused to jump on their Peace Train. They willingly gave away our God given land to our sworn enemies. They made the “other” a kind of pagan idol. And like any idol it had no agency. These people actually thought very poorlly of the Gazans they sought to help because they were never willing to actually believe what the Gazans were telling them directly. That they want to kill all of us and destroy our country. Murder is always tragic. I have some sympathy for his widow. But none for their ideas.
As crude as it feels to call this elderly victim a useful idiot, someone who brought Arab children to Jewish hospitals so they could grow up to be strong rapists and murderers does seem to deserve the title. A Tzaddik might have helped a Jew instead.