Protests Alone Won’t Suffice: This Is the Step That Can Truly Shake the Nation

True, there is Benjamin Netanyahu. And there is Israel’s organizational culture. There’s the army and politicians and leaders across various, often questionable, levels. They all share responsibility; they are all to blame. But let’s turn the mirror on ourselves. We, the nation’s builders, defenders, and founders, have allowed this situation to unfold. We enabled it—whether by turning a blind eye or clinging to false hopes.

For 11 months now—almost a full year—every value we hold dear has been dismantled, obliterated, erased. Like frogs slowly boiling in a pot, we’ve been immersed in the process for so long that it’s become hard to see the bigger picture. We’ve grown blind to the reality unfolding around us.

Yes, we protest, we grieve, we stand by the hostages’ families, we write signs, and we march in the streets with flags. But is it enough? While the north burns and lies abandoned, while the hostages languish in tunnels, while Netanyahu dismantles the remnants of Israeli democracy—is it enough to simply protest, cry, and demonstrate? Is it enough to shake our heads and mutter, “how bad things have become”?

Take a hard look at the reality around us. Children in the South are growing up under the shadow of unimaginable trauma, lured back to their homes with bribes to maintain a facade of normalcy. Thousands have been murdered, wounded, or sacrificed their lives. Our streets are filled with masses suffering from deep trauma. The war grinds on aimlessly, lacking purpose, driven by a web of deceit and endless manipulation.

There is no management, leadership, or culprits, and no one is willing to take responsibility. Well, there are, but none will dare admit their role in this failure, fearing that an inquiry commission might eventually hold them accountable—assuming an independent, state-led commission is even formed, and not one filled with Netanyahu’s loyalists.

And what of the economy? We are mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren—not just to finance the war, perhaps, but also to fund sectors that neither contribute to the fight nor stop fueling it. It’s as though they’ve been waiting their entire lives for this moment, a chance to conquer Gaza, Lebanon, Judea, and Samaria—sacrificing our children in the process.

All of this continues to escalate, and what do we do? We protest, we cry, we demonstrate, we write slogans, and we tweet. But this, too, falls on us—the builders of the country, its founders, and the so-called ‘good citizens’ who shake their heads and ask, “How did we get here?” without realizing that this is exactly where we were heading all along.

We boarded the Titanic and sat down, even as the water rises to our waists. Yet, we continue with the same routine: polite protests, demonstrations, shouting, and repeating slogans—only to return home afterward, feeling that we’ve done our part. We attended a demonstration, a mass funeral, or an alternative memorial ceremony. These gestures are well-meaning, maybe even helpful—in normal countries, under normal circumstances. But not when the water is about to drown us all.

In times like these, different actions are needed: not just demonstrations but 24/7 civil disobedience, hunger strikes, and a complete shutdown of the economy. We must declare unwavering, nonviolent civil disobedience and refuse to play the game this corrupt government is trying to force upon us.

Until we take these actions, we are complicit. We, too, are responsible. We, too, are guilty. And we won’t be able to tell our children or grandchildren that we did everything we could—because we didn’t. The time to act is now.