An unusual incident occurred Monday morning on Channel 13's morning program when actress Chelli Goldenberg expressed strong opinions about Judea and Samaria, settlers, and the situation in Israel, only to discover later that the entire conversation had been broadcast live.
The interview, conducted by Elad Zohar and Yarden Harel, was supposed to focus on Goldenberg's career and her work in the cultural sphere, but quickly developed into a heated political debate.
"We are occupiers. Yes. Everything that is happening now is the result of the occupation," Goldenberg declared during the conversation.
When Zohar asked her to explain which events she was referring to, she replied, "What isn't happening now? The increasing religious influence, the settlers, Jewish terrorism, the arrogance."
Zohar challenged her remarks, bringing up Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the October 7 attack.
In response, Goldenberg compared the situation to the struggle against South Africa's apartheid regime and also raised the actions of Jewish underground organizations during the British Mandate.
"A minority has the right to fight for its freedom," she said.
Zohar immediately objected to the statement, responding, "Not if it massacres civilians, our brothers and sisters, and our soldiers."
Later, Goldenberg sought to emphasize her connection to Israel and her volunteer work on behalf of residents of southern Israel.
According to Goldenberg, from December 2023 until approximately a year before the interview, she participated in a volunteer group that cleaned homes in communities near the Gaza Strip.
"I am a great patriot. I love this country. It's like watching your child become something that makes you say, 'This is not how I raised you,'" she explained.
Harel also expressed disagreement with Goldenberg's remarks.
"There are a lot of issues here. I'll say, to put it mildly, that I see things differently. Hearing 'a minority has the right to defend itself' - that's a difficult statement," she said.
Zohar joined the criticism, emphasizing that the remarks were particularly troubling in light of the events of October 7.
"The country is still wounded, bleeding, and grieving over what that minority that was fighting did here," he said, adding that it was too soon, if ever appropriate, to discuss the events in the manner Goldenberg had.
When the hosts attempted to steer the conversation back toward cinema and the actress's roles, the interview took an unexpected turn.
"Were we on the air?" Goldenberg suddenly asked.
After the hosts confirmed that the conversation had been broadcast, she reacted with shock.
"We were on the air during that conversation? That's not okay," she said. "You didn't tell me we were back on the air. I thought this was an offline conversation. I didn't know this conversation was being broadcast. I even told you that I didn't want to talk about everything I did in the Gaza border communities. I thought we were on a commercial break."
Goldenberg struggled to conceal her emotional distress and continued:
"I don't want to, I don't want to. 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."
Later, toward the end of the interview, Goldenberg addressed viewers and apologized for the way she had expressed herself.
She explained that she had not realized the cameras were broadcasting during the conversation and that, as a result, she had spoken more harshly than she had intended.
"I'm a very impulsive person, with tremendous passion when I speak. I'm all fire and flames. I didn't know we were on the air," she said.
According to Goldenberg, "I expressed my opinions with greater passion and extremity, things that I don't think I would even say to my mother and father, because they would also be a little angry with me."
Goldenberg acknowledged that "the level of drama and the sharpness of the remarks were excessive," and asked the hosts to make sure they clearly inform her in the future when the cameras are operating.
"Next time, you need to put a flag [on the camera]... There, it's red. I didn't see that it was red when we were talking," she concluded.
