Day 324 of the War: Only 4 Knesset Members Decide Our Future

It has been another difficult week in Israel. After a brief moment of hope for a potential hostage deal, the horrible reality surfaced with the discovery of the bodies of six hostages. While the public already knew that five of them were dead, there had been uncertainty about Avraham Munder. All of them were innocent civilians who were kidnapped and taken to Gaza alive on October 7. The fact that their bodies had been returned to Israel and received proper funerals and burials in their Kibbutzim offers only a small consolation to their loved ones and to the whole nation.But many of the hostage families don’t even have that. Every time I hear Hagit and Ruby Chen, the parents of Itai, the soldier who was killed on October 7, speak at demonstrations, they emphasize their need to bring their son home so they can give him the dignified military burial befitting the hero he was.

Last night, I took my ten-year-old granddaughter to the demonstration in Kaplan. She hadn’t been there for a whole year, not since the last time she visited Israel and protested with me against the judicial overhaul. She kept asking me good and insightful questions about the political situation in Israel. She wanted to know why Israel’s leaders do not take responsibility for what happened before October 7, on that day, and in the ten months that have passed since.

What bothered her the most was why only four members of the coalition (out of the famous 64 members) are deciding the future of the country. It was very hard to explain since I myself cannot believe that this is what is happening to us.

Yesterday, Kaplan and the surrounding area were packed with protesters of all ages. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated across the country, yet there was very little media coverage. Early on, back at the beginning of 2023, I decided that I wouldn’t let this influence my decision to participate in the demonstrations. I have a feeling that the significance of these grassroots protests is being downplayed intentionally, and the choice not to give them much visibility is deliberate.

When my granddaughter asked me about those 64 Knesset members and how the prime minister manages to keep his coalition intact, I tried to explain that in politics, people are bought, promises are made, and when that doesn’t work, their weakest spots are found and they are threatened. Teaching her about corruption and cynicism in “real life” was something I had hoped to postpone until she was much older.