Cry, the Beloved Country

Eyal Eshel, father of observation soldier Roni Eshel who fell on October 7, describes his feelings ahead of the election results. He expresses fear that Likud under Netanyahu will emerge with a victory image, warning that this would allow the party that was in power on the day of the massacre to present itself as having regained public trust. Eshel demands truth and accountability.

Eyal Eshel, father of observation soldier Roni Eshel who fell on October 7, 2023, publishes a personal and political opinion piece ahead of the 2026 elections. He describes imagining election night, where Likud under Benjamin Netanyahu stands at the top of the polls. Eshel asks how it is possible that after the greatest disaster in the country's history, the party that was in power on the day of the massacre would once again achieve a victory image. He describes his daughter Roni, an observation soldier in Battalion 414, who was "one of the eyes of the state" and whose comrades warned but the state failed to protect them. Eshel argues there is an unwritten contract between the state and its citizens, and that this contract was torn on October 7. He demands personal accountability from those who led the state, and states that if Likud becomes the largest party after the elections, it would send a problematic public message. Eshel clarifies he is not claiming every Likud voter bears responsibility for the massacre, but asserts that elections are a moment when society must ask itself what message it sends to its leaders. He concludes with a call for truth and accountability, writing that Roni has already paid the price, and the state cannot afford to also give up on truth and accountability.