Yaacov Godo is one of the heroes who make the war between Israel and Hamas something hopeful. Wars are ugly, but people like Godo give it a glimmer of brightness. Godo is a driver of peace, someone capable of transporting us towards it, as long as we listen to him.
Godo is a victim of Hamas terrorists, but he also feels like a victim of the far-right government of Bibi Netanyahu. That's why he has been camping in front of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, for two months, and that's where I met him and interviewed him.
Question: First of all, please introduce yourself and tell me what you are doing here.
Answer: My name is Yaacov Godo, I am 74 years old, and I am here because my son, Tom, was killed on October 8, after being locked in his shelter at Kibbutz Kissufim for 25 hours.
How did you feel that day and in the following days?
It was very difficult, very painful. He was shot on the morning of October 8. We received the message that he had been shot around 9 in the morning. His wife, who managed to escape with their three daughters, communicated his death to his mother. And his mother communicated it to us. It was very, very difficult. It was like a knife in the stomach.
But after a few days, the funeral was on Friday, October 13. I said I would come and sit here, in front of the Knesset. And the purpose is for the government and the prime minister to resign, to leave political life. And we must repair everything they have destroyed.
And do you think Netanyahu should be punished? Go to prison, for example? Or just resign?
Look, he is under accusations and trial. First, he must leave political life. I hope he is imprisoned for what he has done in recent years.
How did you know these people were here? And what is your daily life like?
In my name and in the name of other people, I must say that this tent was already set up. More or less, Maoz, who is not here today, and I lead this operation. The other people are with us, helping us survive this entire operation.
"Revenge is not a way of living"
Then, in more general terms, I would like to know what you think is the solution not only for this war but for the entire conflict.
It's difficult. But we must change our way of thinking. The solution should not only be war but dialogue and achieving some form of peace between the Gaza district and the Judea and Samaria district. Both sides must be in some kind of state. And Israel, living together. Side by side. War is not an option.
I come from Barcelona, Spain. And there's a very strange atmosphere there. Because there are many people who believe or publicly say that all Israelis are settlers. Each one of them, including you. What would you tell them?
Look, only a small part of Israelis are settlers. We are about 10 million people, Jews, Arabs, and only 500,000 are settlers. So that's the proportion. [The settlers] are strong because Netanyahu brought his government to two very extremist and racist parties. But to say that the majority of Israelis are settlers is something that is very far from reality.
The last one. What would you say to the world? What is your message to the world?
I can only say that revenge is not a way of living. And I hope that everyone finds some way to live in peace. To live not in dictatorship but in democracy. And I hope that the people of Israel, the Palestinians, and the Arabs find a way to live together without wars.
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