Israeli spokesman’s viral response to media question about value of Palestinian lives
Israel spokesman Eylon Levy recently made headlines for his impassioned reaction to a question posed by Sky News interviewer Kay Burley. The discussion centered around the potential swap of hostages between Israel and Hamas, with Burley suggesting that Israel places less value on Palestinian lives due to the exchange terms.
During the interview, Burley pointed out that while Israel would receive 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, it raised the question of whether Palestinian lives were not as highly valued as Israeli lives. Levy, visibly taken aback, strongly refuted the accusation, calling it “astonishing” and “disgusting.”
Levy emphasized that Israel is facing horrific circumstances and would release one prisoner for every hostage if possible. He also highlighted the fact that many of the Palestinian prisoners slated for release have been convicted of violent attacks, in contrast to the innocent civilians held by Hamas. Additionally, he addressed the disparity in prisoner exchange proportions, noting that the question of proportionality did not seem to concern Palestinian supporters when they stand to gain more prisoners.
Despite Levy’s passionate response, Burley shifted the conversation to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the potential impact of the war on his career. However, Levy’s passionate stance on the value of all lives did not go unnoticed, with the interview clip receiving millions of impressions and sparking further discussions on social media.
Levy continued to articulate Israel’s commitment to bringing back all hostages and reiterated that the successful Israeli military operation was instrumental in securing the release of the hostages. Notably, Qatar, acting as a mediator in the conflict, announced that the first group of hostages would be returned to Israel following the agreed-upon cease-fire.
The interview highlights the ongoing complexities and sensitivities surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Levy’s impassioned responses shedding light on the dedication of Israeli officials to resolving the crisis. Despite the intense exchange, Sky News has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter.