Silences and Screams: The Tragic Irony of Extreme Politics in Israel

In the shadows of history, in the folds of time where the scars of the past meet the uncertainties of the present, whispers echo, whispers that murmur of tragedy and absurdity. In Jerusalem, under a sky that has witnessed so many storms, unfolds a spectacle that defies comprehension and challenges the very soul. “Back to the Gaza Strip,” they proclaim, with a seriousness bordering on the absurd.

Here’s the scene: fifteen ministers, figures of power and influence, gathered not in search of peace but of reconquest, of rebuilding a past that cannot, that should not be revived. Among them, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, leaders of their parties, echoing speeches from a past that should have been buried. And there they are, with words that incite death and expulsion, words that provoke applause but should evoke tears.

Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, with his traditional horror show, calls for the death penalty, the rebuilding of settlements, “voluntary” immigration – euphemisms for a much darker reality. And the audience, ecstatic, applauds, unaware that they praise their loss, the loss of their humanity.

Bezalel Smotrich speaks of the soldier expelled from Gaza, of traumas and dreams, but his dreams are nightmares for others, monsters that become reality. And Shlomo Kery, from Likud, speaks of “transfer,” of “charging a high price,” words hiding the true nature of their desires.

And while videos of soldiers and fiery speeches paint a picture that should be unthinkable, Daniela Weiss from the extremist settler group Nachalá divides the world into black and white, Jews and Arabs flourishing and murdering. But the world is not so simple, and her simplistic words are dangerous.

A map is presented, plans are made, and families sign up to inhabit lands that are not theirs. Even Yitzhak Goldknopf, the Minister of Construction, joins the fray despite his ultra-Orthodox tradition usually staying out of these issues.

Amid this storm of words and plans, amid the enthusiasm of a meeting that seems more like a theater of the absurd, a glaring omission echoes in my mind. As ministers and leaders discuss reconquest and settlements, talk of transfers, and “voluntary” immigration, a crucial issue remains in the shadows, forgotten or ignored: the kidnapped, our brothers, whose lives hang in a limbo of anguish and uncertainty.

There are no plans, no words for them. In this agenda laden with extremism and distorted visions, the situation of the kidnapped is a deafening silence, a gap that speaks louder than all the fiery speeches. And I, witnessing this spectacle of disregard and insensitivity, feel an outrage that burns within. How can these so-called leaders ignore the suffering of those in the hands of enemies, those living each day as an eternity of despair?

While plans are drawn for a Jewish Gaza, for a reality that seems more like a collective delirium, our kidnapped brothers remain at the mercy of fate, forgotten by those who should be their greatest advocates. It’s a cruel and painful irony, a reflection of a reality where politics has become a game of interests and rhetoric, disconnected from real human needs.

These leaders, lost in their fantasies of power and reconquest, seem to have forgotten what truly matters: human life, the pain and hope of those who wait, day after day, for a sign that they have not been forgotten. Where is their compassion, their humanity? Where is their sense of responsibility towards all citizens, especially those in such vulnerable situations?

This is the moment to open our eyes to the true face of extremism, to the insensitivity that lurks behind grand speeches and audacious plans. It’s time to remember that politics is not just about territories and power but about people, about human lives at stake.

We cannot allow this negligence to continue. We cannot let the voice of the foolish drown out the cry for justice and humanity. It’s time to demand action, to demand that the issue of the kidnapped be placed at the top of the agenda, to call for their safe return. We cannot be complicit in a silence that is a betrayal. We cannot fail those who need us most.

As these leaders lose themselves in their illusions of greatness, we must unite in the fight for true greatness: the courage to face reality to fight for the life and dignity of every human being. It’s time to be the voice for the voiceless, to be the hope for those who have lost all hope.