Israeli actress Chelli Goldenberg has criticised Israel’s occupation, settlement expansion and growing religious influence, unaware that her remarks were being broadcast during what she believed was a commercial break.
Goldenberg made the comments during an interview on Israel’s Channel 13, which was initially focused on her acting career and contribution to the country’s cultural life before turning to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Speaking about her disillusionment with Israel, the actress said that she no longer felt proud to be Israeli, despite describing herself as a patriot who loved the country.
“I really want to be able to feel happy about being Israeli again. I want to be, but I no longer feel proud to be Israeli,” she said, adding that she was speaking quietly and did not believe she was on air.
Goldenberg, who was born in 1954, said it had taken years for her generation to understand what she described as the sin of the occupation, even after the 1967 war.
She blamed the occupation for developments in Israeli society, including what she described as growing religious influence, settlement expansion, Jewish extremism and arrogance.
“The occupation brought about everything that followed. Everything happening now is the consequence of the occupation,” she said.
The exchange took an unexpected turn when the hosts informed Goldenberg that the conversation had been broadcast. Visibly distressed, she questioned why she had not been told that the programme was still on air.
“We were on air during that conversation? That’s not okay,” she responded.
She later told the interviewers that she had believed the programme was on a commercial break and had not known the cameras were still rolling.
“I don’t know what to do with this now. I’m really in shock. You didn’t tell me we were on the air. I thought we were on a commercial break,” she said.
