Courier of 'pink suitcases' furious: "It's wicked, I'm not willing to accept this"

The documentary series "Pink Suitcases" on yes brought back to public consciousness the drug smuggling affair involving four young Israeli women, but alongside the great interest in their story, a wave of criticism also developed online. One of the participants in the series, Or-El Ben Haim, decided to respond to the claims directed at her, and in particular to the accusation that the drugs the couriers smuggled were also used for sexual assault against women.

In a series of stories published on Instagram, Ben Haim said that she is struggling to cope with the intensity of the reactions following the airing of the series. According to her, alongside many messages of support, harsh criticism was also directed at her. She clarified that she accepts most of the criticism with understanding, and even said that she held conversations with people who disagreed with her and her path.

However, according to her, there is one claim that she is not willing to accept. "One title that I am not willing to accept is the title 'I helped other women get raped' or something along those lines," she said. Ben Haim called this definition "wicked, evil, cynical, cheap and unjustified in any way," and emphasized that the very use of the word "rape" does not make the claim true.

Ben Haim, who also addressed the term "date rape drug," claimed that there is no specific definition in the law for this term and that it involves substances that can cause impairment. She added that alcohol can also be linked to cases of sexual assault, and said that in a search she conducted online, she found that alcohol is a common substance in the context of sexual assaults and rape.

At the same time, Ben Haim emphasized that she is not trying to downplay the severity of the acts for which she was convicted. "I brought drugs and that is serious," she said, but added that one should not attribute to her responsibility for a rape act committed by another person. "The only one to blame for rape is the rapist," she said, while comparing the matter to a case where a knife manufacturer is not held responsible for a murder committed using it.

She even emphasized that these things are said from her perspective also out of personal acquaintance with the subject. "Rape is a shocking thing," she said, "so please, do not attach it to every person." According to her, the fact that drugs can be used by a person to commit an offense does not make the one who transported them responsible for the act committed by that person.

The "Pink Suitcases" affair came to the center of the discourse following the 3-episode documentary series, which aired at the end of July on yes Docu. Ben Haim and Arbel Mizrahi participated in the series and told about the period preceding the smuggling, the use of drugs, the decision to become couriers, the arrest, and life after serving the sentence. Idan Tzauber and Lee Pony, who were also involved in the affair, chose not to participate.

The four young women were arrested in January 2023 after they smuggled about 14 kg of cocaine and ketamine from Berlin to Israel. As part of a plea bargain, they were convicted of offenses related to drug smuggling. Ben Haim was sentenced to 34 months in actual prison - the heaviest sentence among the four.

The series received wide exposure and also led to a public debate around the question of whether giving a media platform to those convicted of serious offenses turns them into famous figures. Alongside the criticism, voices were also heard reminding that the four were judged, served their sentences, and now they are asking to tell their story and continue with their lives.

Now, following the criticism, Ben Haim is asking to set a clear boundary between the discussion of her actions in the drug smuggling affair and the responsibility for rape acts. "Be good," she said at the end of her words, "you can express whatever you want, you just need to know how."