Eliasaf Peretz: Netanyahu should have resigned after Oct 7

Eliasaf Peretz, son of Miriam Peretz and bereaved brother of Lieutenant Uriel and Major Eliraz Peretz hy"d who fell in combat, sat down for an interview on Srugim's 'Kippot Barzel' program with host Netanel Izak.

Peretz explained his decision to join Gadi Eizenkot's party alongside other religious-Zionist figures including Chili Tropper and Shira Shapira. He emphasized the urgent need for leadership renewal and personal accountability following the October 7th failure, and criticized the current government's priorities.

Eliasaf Peretz in interview with Kippot Barzel (Srugim studio)

Leadership change and responsibility for the October 7th failure

"I truly believe that after 20 years in power, it starts to confuse a person... power corrupts after a long time and we need to replace the leadership here. There's the greatest failure here since the founding of the state... and there's a government that prefers draft dodgers over those who serve."

"Whoever was responsible for the failure... it cannot be that there's a prime minister leading the state, that this state essentially during these difficult years supported draft dodgers, supported division and hatred... he should have gotten up, resigned and said: 'Citizens of the State of Israel... I take responsibility, I am responsible for this thing that happened here, for this terrible failure, and I am submitting my resignation and leaving.' Why? Because I want you to teach your children to take responsibility."

The security situation and the duty to investigate the conception

Responding to host Netanel Izak, who noted the military achievements in fighting on various fronts since October 7th, Peretz clarified that despite the fighters' heroism and the recovery of security forces, no arena is hermetically sealed and there is no substitute for a penetrating investigation of the failures. At the same time, he expressed severe resentment about the presence in the cabinet of elements encouraging draft evasion.

"We are in a situation where we haven't closed the story in any arena. In Gaza, Hamas is strengthening... in Lebanon we are in a ceasefire... clearly there were achievements and clearly the army, the Mossad and the Shin Bet recovered and showed all of Israel's enemies that whoever raises a hand against us we will destroy, but this doesn't diminish taking responsibility... we must investigate what led to this conception."

"I saw a speech and letter from Aryeh Deri where he says 'I am proud of my three haredi deserter grandsons'... he sits in the political-security cabinet and decides whether the Israel Defense Forces will go out on an operation where soldiers can be killed. In what world is it legitimate that someone who takes pride in his deserter grandsons sits in the government and determines my fate and the fate of my friends?"

Haredi draft and the sense of betrayal in religious Zionism

Peretz, who was bereaved of both his brothers, Uriel and Eliraz Peretz hy"d, addressed with great pain the issue of draft exemption and the contempt for the self-sacrifice of religious-Zionist fighters. Peretz shared a personal memory of his brother Eliraz z"l, who maintained daily Torah study alongside his combat service, and called for integrating the haredi sector through civil sanctions rather than media arrests.

"Eliraz made a deal with his wife... 'When you come back from the army, you don't enter through the door before you've stopped at the beit midrash and learned something.' At 12:30 at night Eliraz is focused on the shtender, learning Torah before he comes home... when the people of religious Zionism put the note for a government headed by leaders who encourage draft evasion, that's the government they'll have."

"The sons of religious Zionism felt they were sold out regarding everything connected to the draft... if the haredi public doesn't integrate into the life of the state, we won't be able to grow here either economically or physically."

"I'm against sending Border Police companies... I'm against arrests, it only serves them and unites them around an enemy. Civil sanctions: no driving and no passport, you can't run for positions in the public sector. There won't be first-class and second-class citizens here."

Political red lines, partnerships and fighters' unity

During the interview, Peretz detailed the four foundational principles of the party (a Jewish and democratic state, values of the Declaration of Independence, service for all and zero tolerance for Hamas) and clarified that Arab parties that don't meet them will not be part of a coalition.

"Gadi set four principles... a Jewish and democratic state, values of the Declaration of Independence, service for everyone, and Hamas is a terror organization that must be destroyed. No Arab party, including Ra'am, meets these rules and therefore they won't be part of the government."

"When you want to storm a house in southern Lebanon... on the right there's someone who votes 'Democrats' and on the left Ben-Gvir, and next to him Likud and next to him 'Yesh Atid'. In this war it doesn't matter. Our biggest enemy is not the Houthis and not Iran, but that we tear each other apart inside. It's forbidden to hate haredim, right-wingers, leftists, religious or secular."

"Amichai Shikli and I have been friends for many years... I told him: what Uri Orbach z"l said, 'I wish you great success in a very small party.' I disagree with him on the political path, but you can disagree and relate with respect."

The message from October 7th: "We are of Israel"

Peretz concluded the interview with a shattering memory from the day of the massacre in Sderot, which became for him a moral compass and faith in the state's future.

"I have one image that doesn't leave me, little Romi Suissa from Sderot, being rescued from the car where her parents were murdered, and she's screaming: 'You are of Israel, come save me.' I want to tell Romi and everyone listening: we are of Israel. We will continue to defend this state... we'll do everything so there won't be another October 7th and we'll do everything so that whoever grows up here will be proud of his state."