Day 429 of the War: Another Week With No End in Sight

Although there were several developments this week, the feeling of helplessness among the Israeli public is overwhelming. The detached and cynical government, along with its allies, continues to march strongly toward the destruction of the key public institutions that constitute our democracy. Concerned citizens persist in protesting through demonstrations, Zoom meetings, newspaper articles, and investigative reports on television. Unfortunately, so far, these efforts have borne no fruit.

Over the last two years, several leaders have emerged in the fight against the judicial overhaul and in protests against the government’s handling of the war. It is hard to comprehend how a nation with so many good people is being led by a group of incompetent and corrupt politicians.

Last night, the famous demonstrations in Kaplan resumed. Because of the war in the north and the growing need to support the hostages’ families, the Kaplan groups stepped back and joined the more militant faction of the families. Last night, the Kaplan crowd arrived earlier and later joined the families in solidarity.

It was a significant evening as Hamas released a video of Matan Zangauker, whose mother, Einav, has become a symbol of the struggle. The video revealed that Hamas is aware of Einav’s fight, and Matan even mentioned it. Following the release of the video, Netanyahu, who loves good news and taking credit for it, called Einav. However, she was not grateful for the call and was displeased with his announcement that he did not plan to end the war or secure the release of all the hostages.

At the demonstration, one of the speakers was Ilana, Matan’s partner, who had been released from captivity in Gaza a year ago in a previous hostage deal. She described the unbearable conditions of being held by Hamas and reflected on the man she saw in the video compared to the Matan she knew. Having experienced the horrors of captivity herself, she spoke from experience of someone who was there.

Following Ilana, Einav, Matan’s mother, addressed the crowd. She has emerged as a true leader in the fight to free her son and the other hostages. Once a supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party, she has undergone a profound transformation over the past year. She realized that it was up to her—and her alone—to help her son.

I remember seeing her on the Kaplan stage as a hesitant, fragile woman demanding that Netanyahu give her back her vote. Two days later, I saw her outside the Knesset in the families tent and complimented her courage. She told me, “Matan gave me this courage. He would have fought like this for me if I needed help.”

Lucky are those whose families fight for them with such determination, but luckier still are those whose country fights for them as well.