As the elections lurk around the corner, more and more names of candidates have become public. Some of the names that have surfaced, as always, have little to no experience in public office and have become household names through various events.
Most prominent, though, and possibly most damaging, have been the personalities who have become known through tragedy: Einav Zangauker, Tzvika Mor, Itzik Bonzel, Hagai Luber, Talik Gvili, Sharon Sharabi, and others, whose names are forever linked to October 7.
Their political aspirations have become clear in recent months, and whether or not those aspirations existed before then is mostly unknown.
These people and their families endured incredible heartbreak and pain, and they all fought hard either to retrieve their loved ones or to raise red flags in order to guarantee such a tragedy never happens again.
Their bravery is commendable. With that being said, to run for national politics on the premise that you are different because of a national tragedy that hit close to home should not be permissible as an ideology.
It can and will make discussions in our hard-punching parliament nearly impossible, as any verbal attack against them will be met by claims defending bereaved families, who have always been sacred to the nation.
An example of this was seen on various occasions, as Gadi Eisenkot – a major political player both currently and before the war began – was attacked for his stances but defended due to the fact that he lost his son and other family members during the war.
We must again find a path back to preserving what is sacred to our country while being able to separate the political from the personal. Obviously, no parent should be attacked for actions he or she chose to take in order to retrieve their loved ones.
That happened often after October 7. That same parent cannot be allowed to hide behind their loved ones when they join the political sphere. It is a broken balance that will become even more fragile once politics and personal pain become one.
Anyone has the right to run for office. That, too, is a right reserved for any law-abiding citizen. And yet, we should be judging our elected officials by their personal stances and their professional achievements, not by their backstory.
The reality is that being the mother or father of a fallen soldier or hostage does not prove political suitability, nor should it. And it definitely should not be used as a shield or as a launching point.
We have no shortage of opportunists in the Knesset. They definitely should not join that fold. There are many better ways to remember our fallen heroes – we should all strive to do that.
The writer is a media and foreign affairs advisor.
Source:
www.jpost.com
