‘That’s a Disgusting Accusation!’ Israel Spox Seethes After Interviewer Asks About Bizarre Talking Point
A spokesman for the Israeli government fumed after an interviewer asked him about a bizarre talking point she heard from a hostage negotiator.
In an interview on the UK’s Sky News Thursday, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy lashed out over a query from Sky News’ Kay Burley ahead of the impending hostage release deal struck by Israel and Hamas.
“I was talking to a hostage negotiator this morning,” Burley said. “He made the comparison between the 50 hostages that Hamas has promised to release, as opposed to the 150 prisoners that are Palestinians that Israel has released. And he made the comparison between the numbers and the fact that ‘Does Israel not think that Palestinian lives are not valued as highly as Israeli lives?'”
The first question that left me speechless (but only for a second): pic.twitter.com/P4Bh0SKtl9
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) November 23, 2023
Levy was visibly taken aback by the suggestion — given that Israel would not want to have to give up three prisoners for each single hostage it’s getting in return.
“That is an astonishing accusation!” Levy said. “If we could release one prisoner for every one hostage, we would obviously do that. We’re operating in horrific circumstances. We’re not choosing to release these prisoners who have blood on their hands. We are talking about people who have been convicted of stabbing and shooting attacks.”
The Israeli government spokesman went on to further trash the notion that it would want to give up three times as many prisoners as it is receiving hostages.
“Notice the question of proportionality doesn’t interest Palestinian supporters when they’re able to get more of their prisoners out,” Levy said. “But really, it is outrageous to suggest that the fact that we are willing to release prisoners who are convicted of terrorism offenses, more of them than we are getting our own innocent children back, somehow suggests that we don’t care about Palestinian lives? Really, that’s a disgusting accusation!
Watch above.
