Miri Aloni: "I was ready to execute Nukhba terrorists"
The legendary soloist of "Shir LaShalom" (Song for Peace) attacks the country's leadership, calls for an urgent political settlement, and explains why she refused to perform the peace anthem for a year and a half since October 7: "I was overwhelmed with feelings of revenge."
Singer and actress Miri Aloni gave an interview in which she revealed many details about her past and career, but what caught the most attention was her confession that, despite the heavy emotional toll, she refuses to disconnect from the political and social reality in Israel. "I am connected to the news 24 hours a day, my dear. I am not an ostrich," she shares.
"It is not easy to constantly hear news in the country, but I must be involved and politically aware, in the social sense of the word — to know exactly what is happening, even though what is happening is horrific."
In her remarks, Aloni calls for a deep conceptual change regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and warns against the continuation of the current situation. "We must not lose hope that in one of the future generations there will be peace," she says.
"We will have to reach a settlement with them and give them the rights they deserve, because we will not be able to live here for years as rulers. The government and its supporters do not understand that all the terror we suffer from is born in the refugee camps. Will we live by our sword forever?"
Aloni does not spare her criticism of the political echelon and accuses elected officials of fueling the rift in the nation. "There are politicians who encourage and enjoy this terrible polarization between us," the singer attacks, "but in the end, the reality here proves that there is no real difference between us; we all know that we share the same fate."
At the same time, Aloni reveals the deep emotional turmoil she went through following the events of October 7, which led her to the unusual decision to freeze the performance of the song most identified with her.
"Peace is an ultimate condition for life. But after October 7, I was so shocked and overwhelmed with feelings of revenge that I was ready to go myself and execute all the Nukhba terrorists. I told myself that I was not capable of singing this song, and for a year and a half I did not sing 'Shir LaShalom'. I could not lie to my soul."
The turning point occurred when she watched news broadcasts of a bereaved family singing the song themselves. "I saw them singing 'Shir LaShalom' of all things. I said to myself: 'My God. They, after everything they have been through, are singing the song?'. That was the sign for me that I must continue to carry the flag of hope," she concludes.
