Hear Our Voice — and Help End the War in Gaza

Amidst the humanitarian disaster, the calamitous Netanyahu government and the war in Gaza, there are powerful voices that are being ignored and even stifled. These are the voices of protestors representing a majority of the Israeli public.

The opposition to the Netanyahu government has been out in the streets and protesting the attack on Israeli democracy since the calamitous elections of 2022. These preceded the Hamas slaughter of Israeli citizens in the south as well as the long and brutal war of retaliation and now, ongoing and unbridled revenge. This opposition, though lacking unity and varied in its outlook, has been warning the Israeli public of Netanyahu’s ruthlessness and moral void for years.

The elections for the Knesset in late 2022 were an anomaly and their outcome has produced a situation unprecedented in Israeli history. The coalition formed, while garnering a majority of members of Knesset, was never supported by a majority of the Israeli public. Due to a change in the election laws which raised the bar for a minimal number of votes required for entry into the Knesset, several small parties (disclosure: among them, mine) received very close to – but not enough – votes to pass the bar. The votes of all who supported these parties were lost and not counted, creating a situation in which almost 10% of the electorate was left unrepresented.  The coalition formed, composed of messianic, ultra-Orthodox, and ultra-right parties cobbled together a majority of MKs (64 out of 120) that represented 48% of the voters. Needless to say, the government formed has been losing support over the course of its term; in the last poll, 82% of Israelis supported an end to the war and Gaza and a withdrawal that would bring home the hostages.

This is not to deny responsibility. Israel is still a democracy and we all recognize that we, the citizens of Israel, have to act. The government, however anti-democratic and reprehensible its actions are, came into power via a legitimate process. But at a time when Israel’ name is being bashed world-wide, it is important to know that there is another Israel, there are other Israelis, and we need recognition, support and encouragement to fight our fight, from within.

An overwhelming majority of Israelis want the war to end. Many see the horrors of displacement, starvation, and physical suffering of Gazans who had no part in the massacre of Israelis and are mortified and opposed to current policy. Most Israelis are desperately concerned about the fate of the hostages and both have and will support almost any internationally backed proposal that will bring them home. Israelis are also deeply concerned about our soldiers, who are exposed to and in many cases take part in terrible aspects of the war, which will leave them scarred for life, including witnessing the deaths and injuries of their comrades, sent by our government and wishing to be patriotic, while being manipulated by the unscrupulous leaders at the helm. For all these reasons, the portrayal of Israel as a monolithic war machine, is inaccurate and unfair: moreover, it is  counter-productive. The current government will not fall on its own:  a strong and confident opposition is necessary both to bring about its fall and to replace it with a worthy alternative. Wholesale demoralization of the public may lead to political paralysis.

Israelis, who are accustomed to being proud of their country, are horrified and agonizing. Yet they continue to demonstrate, with protests bringing out as many as half  million protesters – no mean feat in a country with  population of 10 million. This opposition is not composed of people on the sidelines but includes 5 formers chiefs of staff of the army, former ministers, leader in the fields of culture, economy, sports, and the presidents of five universities, amongst them those Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, considered the leading institutions of higher education in the country.

The Israeli government has earned and well deserves most of the criticism it is receiving. The war in Gaza must end, the people of Gaza must be fed and protected, the hostages must be returned, and a new coalition of nations must help broker and keep a peace in the region. But the cabinet led by Netanyahu, desperately seeking to escape trial and ouster, will not be convinced to capitulate. Ironically, his partners, the more convinced they are that their own future is grim, with elections almost guaranteed to end their reign, are all the more determined to resist elections and do all in their power to cling to power; maintaining the status quo is what they hope for.

What the rest of the world can do is to recognize the efforts of the opposition desperately fighting to unseat the perpetrators of the crimes in Gaza. We have been in the streets, in the media, speaking out at every opportunity. We have won popular support, with the unfolding tragedy convincing more Israelis every day of the disastrous consequences of the continued control of the current government.  Yet  the struggle is long and exhausting, the work against the master of mass media, the morally bankrupt Netanyahu is trying, and the wholesale blackening of our country’s name is daunting. As one born in the US and following the coverage, it seems our voices, heard in the streets at home, rarely reach the media abroad.

The Israeli opposition continues to struggle, and we will win out. But the world’s backing  and recognition of our efforts can bring us new energy and help shorten the period of terrible pain of all in our troubled neighborhood.