Betty Lahet: "Yahya Sinwar is a Megalomaniac Laughing at All of Us"

Betty Lahet retired from the Israel Prison Service 12 years ago, yet to this day, she is remembered for making history as the first woman appointed to the highest positions in the organization. Among other accomplishments, she achieved the rank of Deputy Commissioner and was the head of the intelligence department of the Israel Prison Service. Previously, Lahet managed various prisons, including Neve Tirza, where she closely interacted with female terrorists. Later, she ran the prison where Yahya Sinwar, now the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, was incarcerated. As such, she is considered the woman who knows the despicable murderer, responsible for the terrible attack on southern settlements by the terrorist organization, better than anyone.

"He is unpredictable like a cat," Lahet describes. "He knows us, our sensibilities, the Israeli media, and the mentality, with all our weaknesses. If he remains alive, he will toy with us for years with the hostages he keeps. He is a dangerous person who always prepared himself for leadership. Even in prison, he arranged to have people executed whom he suspected of collaborating with Israel. I hope this time it will be decisive, that none of the Hamas terrorists will remain alive. It's crucial to create significant deterrence.

"At the same time, it's important to know there are people just as bad as Yahya Sinwar. It's not as if killing him will end the conflict with them. People need to understand this; there are others like Abdallah Barghouti, who is serving 50 life sentences. Sinwar is simply a megalomaniac, and the fact that he continues and does not surrender proves it. When he was a prisoner, he himself compiled the list of prisoners to be released in the Shalit deal, together with his brother Mohammed, who was involved in the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit.

"There are those in Hamas who disagree with him and his methods, but everyone agrees with and rejoices in what he did on October 7, even those who lie and claim to regret it and condemn it. They are all liars."

According to Lahet, one of the biggest absurdities as a state is not only that we have pity on the terrorists but also the conditions in which they are incarcerated: "They are laughing at us, and we are nurturing them. They receive conditions reminiscent of a hotel, including education and the ability to shop in prison canteens. Politicians constantly fight for their rights, and they are always petitioning the High Court of Justice for upgraded prisons."

Do you support the death penalty for terrorists?

"Without a doubt. Otherwise, we see these recurring cycles of kidnapping soldiers or abducting civilians as a significant attempt on their part to extort us and release imprisoned terrorists. Even Yahya Sinwar himself, a minute before he was released, promised all the imprisoned terrorists that he would still ensure their release, and it's troubling. These are dangerous prisoners, and I very much hope this won't happen. Many of them are serving dozens of life sentences for the attacks they carried out. He himself has said and written on numerous occasions that at the first opportunity, he will eat the liver of the Jews, and that's about what he did on the day of the massacre.

"As his prison manager, I tried many times to confront him verbally because he refused to speak to the Israeli staff in prison. I threatened him that if he didn't come to talk to me, I would make him come even if he didn't want to. I would interrogate him and gain a lot of understanding through him."

Weren't you afraid to be in such a role in front of terrorists?

"My husband always says that's my problem, that I have no fear," she laughs. "I'm not afraid of anything or anyone, maybe a bit more now."

In her personal life, Lahet is a mother of four, a daughter to parents who emigrated from Afghanistan in the 1950s, and she was born and raised in Petah Tikva. She indeed served in very high-ranking positions in the Israel Prison Service, as mentioned, in positions traditionally held by men, and she was also the first woman to run a men's prison—but don't mistake her, she is not a feminist at all.

"I worked with youth terrorists, with female terrorists, with criminal youth and inmates in the most dangerous prisons, managed numerous prisons, and was the first woman to run a male prison. I fought for it because I was done managing women's prisons; prior to that, I also managed Neve Tirza. But I am not a feminist, not at all," she emphasizes. "I also don't think a woman should be in tanks and fight; it's just not suitable for her. In my view, it's problematic to come from the start with this feminist agenda. I think what suits women should be open, but according to capabilities, not according to some populist agenda that drives us."

"Politics? Heaven forbid"

What have you been doing since you retired from the Israel Prison Service?

"I spend a lot of time with my family, travel a lot to the U.S. I have a son there who is an MMA fighter named Noahd, who would come to Israel for every conflict and join the war effort, even during Operation Protective Edge. Unfortunately, he is currently unable to participate for various reasons. In the past, I was also involved in mediation, currently a bit less.

"During the holidays, I was in the U.S., and four days after I returned, the war started. My youngest son is a company commander and is inside Gaza, really on the front lines, in a very significant role, and the other son is a fighter in the north. I try to keep myself busy so as not to think about it."

Any thoughts of going into politics? Surely you have been offered quite a bit with your experience, knowledge, and abilities.

"Heaven forbid, I'm not suited. I'm willing to provide some awareness in small groups, to provide a clearer picture so people understand and do what's needed for the benefit of the State of Israel, but not in a political role, heaven forbid, rather in volunteering. So that people, like our brothers on the left, who still live in the fantasy that the Oslo Accords were a good decision, understand the reality. I bring insights from many years of in-depth familiarity with the system.

What do you think about the issue of non-combatants in Gaza, about the claim that they are innocent and should not be harmed, from your perspective and experience?<\/strong>]<\/p>

"I know Jews who pitied sick Palestinian children and traveled to bring cancer-stricken children from Gaza for treatment in Israel, and yet those children, as they grew up, joined terrorist organizations. They are mostly raised on the hatred of Jews. This is nothing new; it has been like this for generations, and is not specific to Hamas or jihad. It will not change, and therefore, there are really no innocents, and there is no reason to feel sorry for them.

"The most important thing right now is to create significant deterrence and stop creating humanitarianism. They are mocking us, all these terrorists, and exploiting our compassion for them. When Yahya Sinwar was in our prison, we treated him when he had a growth in his head. When I confronted him about it and told him we saved his life, he told me, 'That's your job.'"

Betty Lahet was interviewed on Moran Kurs' program, "Not Taken for Granted." The full interview will air soon.