«Courier» from «Pink Suitcases» Responds to Criticism: «The Essence Is the Message»
Oraal Ben-Haim, convicted in the Pink Suitcases case, responds for the first time to harsh criticism regarding the new docuseries that premiered on yes, explaining why she decided to share her side of a story that stirred the nation.
Last weekend, the crime docuseries «Pink Suitcases» premiered on yes, produced by Mor Lushi and Daniel Sion. The series focuses on a case that exploded in January 2023, when four young Israeli women—Arbel Mizrahi, Oraal Ben-Haim, Eden Tzauber, and Li Pony—were apprehended at Ben Gurion Airport while attempting to smuggle 15 to 20 kilograms of hard drugs, including cocaine and ketamine, concealed in PlayStation packaging, shampoo bottles, and other innocent consumer goods.
Responses from the media were swift. Television critic for «Israel Hayom», Nir Wolf, wrote in his column:
«Criminals or celebrities? The line separating these definitions is as thin as a line of text. They were convicted and paid their debt to society, but they also gained newspaper pages, news coverage, characters in “Eretz Nehederet,” Purim costumes, and an unreasonable number of social media posts analyzing their criminal persona and their rapid return to the right path. Something here is too clean—like the 15 kilos of pure coke (ketamine) that the four of them tried to smuggle from Berlin to Israel in January 2023».
Ben-Haim responded to the column in a statement published in «Israel Hayom»:
«The ratings celebrations you held at our expense in 2023—and when I say “you,” I mean the public and the media—you celebrated on our name, you put us in newspaper headlines, you dressed up as us, and you made parodies in “Eretz Nehederet.”»
Regarding the criticism they face, she added:
«Isn’t it justified that we want to show our side after months of people celebrating on our name? Isn’t it justified to answer the difficult questions that have been floating in the air for so long? Is the public’s right to know only valid when crimes occur?»
Ben-Haim concluded:
«I leave my five minutes of fame to you and to anyone who wants it. After all, this isn’t the essence. The essence is the message. I wish us all quiet days and a more fulfilling, genuinely accepting discourse.»
