Israel’s protests are back, but they’re not what they say they are. The sad reality is that Israeli leftists are marching against irrelevance, not war.
I agree with the author. The idea that Israelis would be “anti-war” right now makes no sense. Israel did not choose this war; it was imposed on us by enemies who have spent years arming themselves and openly declaring their intention to destroy the country. At a moment like this, when soldiers are fighting and citizens are under attack, the priority should be unity. You can debate politics in calmer times, but during a war the country needs solidarity behind its leadership. What we’re seeing in many of these demonstrations looks less like opposition to the war itself and more like what could only be called Bibi derangement syndrome — a reflex to oppose anything Netanyahu does. Whatever one thinks of him politically, the timing of these protests is deeply misguided.
The Israeli left are tragic in their recurring addition to sugary ideas that are so stupid only an intellectual could believe in. The existence these days is a primarily a recurring tantrum to win friends and influence people who care nothing for Israel neither left nor right. No you will not get that plumb job in Europe not matter what.
A surprising essay by Vanessa Berg. What is she actually trying to say? She may well allow protesting; that is very commendable. But the protesters do not seem to know what they are actually demonstrating against; only Ms. Berg knows that. It seems evident to me that these people are against both the Netanyahu government and the war against Iran—one can have valid reasons for both. This struggle has already been going on for three weeks, and it does not look like this major effort is yielding the only result that could justify all this destruction: regime change in Tehran. The destruction of infrastructure and the oil industry does not strengthen the position of the opposition there; on the contrary. (And that is not even mentioning the consequences at the gas pump.) The desire to act against the Iranian nuclear threat is understandable. However, many people will currently be wondering whether the American/Israeli actions are not being carried out hastily, thoughtlessly, and with the wrong means. Those 600 protesters are not alone in that.
I still want to know why the Supreme Court decided it was ok to protest but not to pray at the Kotel. and yes, now after that ruling there are prayers allowed once again at the Kotel. This reminds me of the ridiculousness here in the US that during COVID there could be mass protests but children couldn't go to play grounds and grandparents died alone in nursing homes. The Left in every country is ridiculous.
Considering the reality of Israel's daily existence, anti-war protesting while running to a shelter as sirens blare makes these people look pretty stupid. Protest the government, sure, but don't hide that by saying you're against war. As the article mentions WHO is for war? My career Army Dad was a combat soldier in 1950 Korea who once told me in the late '60's "No real soldier ever wants to see a war because he knows the price to be paid."
And I suspect, but not having any proof, Soros sends money to the so-called N.G.O.s in Israel as well. As we have found with the terrorists, big money knows no international boundaries.
The Israeli Left sounds like the American Left in protests and criticism of the war. TDS in the US and NDS in Israel. They are both a moral vacuum whose protests are nothing but empty voids with signs that echo the same. They are despicable groups who root for the enemies of their countries through these protests. It's easy to hold up an anti-war sign, very simple. Walk for a few hours, scream moral superiority slogans, while the military puts their lives on the line so they can continue their shouting. This is really not surprising when after October 7th, Miki and Tami Mark, peace activists who were murdered by those they befriended. Their friends said they would continue their work, and while that is noble, it is also far from reality of the situation. Yes, criticism is fine if it is legitimate, but these protests are part of the Left's agenda. What do they actually do to improve or change what they believe is wrong? As you have said, change can come from voting, but when a group still doesn't respect the results, they will proceed as usual.
The author accuses the protestors of gaslighting. I think that this is projection. That 1000 people can gather, during a war against Israel's avowed enemies, to protest against that war, is actually courageous, whether you agree or not - and is also testimony to the strength of Israel's democracy.
It is obvious that these 1000 protestors are protesting the government. But there can be many reasons to protest it. It is probable that most people that oppose the current government - according to polls, a majority of the population - do not oppose the prosecution of the war against the IRGC and Hezbollah. These few protestors do, in fact, oppose that war - which, as the author concedes, is their right - and thus they do not gaslight anyone.
Were the protest held against the government's policies, e.g. against HOW they prosecute this war - such as bribing the economically and militarily non-contributing sectors of society with billions of Shekel just to keep them in the coalition, while pressuring the contributing sectors with ever more taxes and reserve duty days - then such demonstrations would attract hundreds of times more protestors. Everyone understands that this is not feasible when the missiles fly. But their time will come.
The author tries to lump together a small section of anti-war activists with the vast number of Israelis who are clear-eyed about the need to combat their enemies, and that are also appalled at their government, the most incompetent ever, that puts its own survival above all else, preventing elections by all means possible, sowing discord for electoral purposes rather than trying to unify a country that is at war. That has nothing to do with "Leftism". The author is gaslighting us.
Actually, she's right and you're wrong. Fortunately for Israel a large chunk of the leftist protestors are old and the young are very supportive of the government, Israel and Judaism.
Actually you are wrong. If you are supportive of Israel and Zionism, then you oppose this incompetent, anti-Zionist government. You would be right if Judaism were equivalent to the money-grabbing, illiteracy-promoting, military service-opposing ultra-orthodox parties that this government is based upon. But that is not what Judaism is.
I happen to be Israeli and I, along with the vast majority of the country support our government. You make the usual leftist assertions without a shred of evidence or fact.
This is indeed a topic more for Israelis than Americans. As you know there are many jews here in America that are leftists first and foremost. This was most apparent when they supported the notion of court packing here to get control of the judiciary as the left has done in israel at the highest levels.
I'm an American Jew who does not understand those Israelis who cannot see the existential threat that Israel/they face(s) ALWAYS. In fact, I don't understand any Jew who cannot see it. As for Ha'aretz, the protesters having that level of cognitive dissonance is suicidal.
The fact that the current gov't, which was formed with 64 out of 120 Knesset seats BEFORE the Oct 7 disaster, is holding on to power with its fingernails and is doing everything possible to avert early elections, indicates that they know that they do not currently enjoy the support of a majority of the electorate.
And coloring someone "leftist" does not relieve you from engaging with the arguments raised.
You support the triple existential threat of the charedi lifestyle being enabled by the current government, which if allowed to continue on its current trajectory will doom us all?
Please clarify.
I can guarantee that a majority of Israelis do NOT support this, even if they do support this very necessary war.
You make statements about the government as though they are indisputable truths when in reality you seem to have an ax to grind and cannot state the obvious—that Bibi was the right PM chosen for this time. Who else could have done what had to be done? Honestly, NDS mimics TDS. I’m in the US, and people say Netanyahu is “bad” because it is popular Left indoctrination, not because they know anything about him. I still think often of what an Israeli said about Trump in his first term (when I had a case of TDS)—“I can’t stand you, but I love you very much.” Perfect and honest. Two opposing realities can exist at the same time. Try it.
The analogy with the "No Kings" , anti Trump rallies in the US is hard to miss. Those folks too, lost an election and now have to live under the policies of the Trump administration, which they despise. Seeking relevance is all they have left.
This essay comes across as an apologia for a rotten, corrupt, dangerous Israeli government. Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, Smotrich and their ilk have persistently worked to undermine Israeli democracy, dehumanize its own Arab citizens, pamper extreme religious parasites on the body politic, and generally work against the interests of the Jewish State in favor of their own self-aggrandizement and/or messianic extremism. The protests may be understood in this light. As to being anti-war, one wonders how irrational this is in, light of the fact that no strategy or end-game has been articulated, and the leaders of the current government have long since exhausted any claim to being trusted to do the right thing. Netanyahu himself was the architect of the disastrous strategy that for years empowered Hamas, and the buck stops wiith him regarding the negligence that allowed October 7 and the ensuing war to happen.
Personally, I support the war, though with enormous misgivings about the same apparent lack of a strategy for how it ends, and what happens then. If Israel had leaders worthy of my trust, I'd be far less inclined to waver or to protest.
“The current Israeli government did not seize power. It was voted into office by a majority of Israelis. Seventy-one percent of Israelis voted; Netanyahu’s bloc went on to win 64 of the 120 seats.”
Just to clarify, Netanyahu’s coalition was NOT in fact voted for by a majority of voters. Hundreds of thousands of votes for the left wing parties Meretz and Balad were lost when they failed to cross the threshold. If I recall correctly, those who voted for coalition parties comprised just under 50% of all voters. Only due to the vagaries of the Israeli political system did Netanyahu’s bloc win 64 seats. In the UK the discrepancies can be much worse ( as we saw in their most recent election) so this phenomenon is not unique to Israeli democracy.
The leftist are not the only perennial protesters . Hasidim also protest about something practically non stop . I'd take exception to repeated disclaimer about their right to protest . This wasn't an abstract protest . This was a street protest .
The protesters not only didn't have the right to street protest, they had an order of Home Command against gatherings during almost incessant rocket bombardment with exception given, for some reason to 50 "protesters" for this particular protest against the war. These protests interfere with and take resources from the efforts to help population being bombarded and even that 50 people allowance for the protest should be investigated as to why and by whom it was given .
I agree with the author. The idea that Israelis would be “anti-war” right now makes no sense. Israel did not choose this war; it was imposed on us by enemies who have spent years arming themselves and openly declaring their intention to destroy the country. At a moment like this, when soldiers are fighting and citizens are under attack, the priority should be unity. You can debate politics in calmer times, but during a war the country needs solidarity behind its leadership. What we’re seeing in many of these demonstrations looks less like opposition to the war itself and more like what could only be called Bibi derangement syndrome — a reflex to oppose anything Netanyahu does. Whatever one thinks of him politically, the timing of these protests is deeply misguided.
Well stated.
Thank you, Leiah Bat Ami.
The Israeli left are tragic in their recurring addition to sugary ideas that are so stupid only an intellectual could believe in. The existence these days is a primarily a recurring tantrum to win friends and influence people who care nothing for Israel neither left nor right. No you will not get that plumb job in Europe not matter what.
A surprising essay by Vanessa Berg. What is she actually trying to say? She may well allow protesting; that is very commendable. But the protesters do not seem to know what they are actually demonstrating against; only Ms. Berg knows that. It seems evident to me that these people are against both the Netanyahu government and the war against Iran—one can have valid reasons for both. This struggle has already been going on for three weeks, and it does not look like this major effort is yielding the only result that could justify all this destruction: regime change in Tehran. The destruction of infrastructure and the oil industry does not strengthen the position of the opposition there; on the contrary. (And that is not even mentioning the consequences at the gas pump.) The desire to act against the Iranian nuclear threat is understandable. However, many people will currently be wondering whether the American/Israeli actions are not being carried out hastily, thoughtlessly, and with the wrong means. Those 600 protesters are not alone in that.
The rest of us can figure out what DJT and Bibi are doing.
Lead, follow or get out the way.
I am nauseatingly sick of the left no matter where they are. They are stupid, selfish, hypocritical and insufferably arrogant.
Quote of The Day !!!
I still want to know why the Supreme Court decided it was ok to protest but not to pray at the Kotel. and yes, now after that ruling there are prayers allowed once again at the Kotel. This reminds me of the ridiculousness here in the US that during COVID there could be mass protests but children couldn't go to play grounds and grandparents died alone in nursing homes. The Left in every country is ridiculous.
It confirms that Israeli Supreme Court has also activist judges.
Considering the reality of Israel's daily existence, anti-war protesting while running to a shelter as sirens blare makes these people look pretty stupid. Protest the government, sure, but don't hide that by saying you're against war. As the article mentions WHO is for war? My career Army Dad was a combat soldier in 1950 Korea who once told me in the late '60's "No real soldier ever wants to see a war because he knows the price to be paid."
Are you writing about Israel or the "No Kings" protests in the U.S.? Dig down deeply, and I suspect that one will find the same money behind each.
Yes, was thinking the same thing! Except the "No Kings" franchise is supported by the Soros Foundations.
And I suspect, but not having any proof, Soros sends money to the so-called N.G.O.s in Israel as well. As we have found with the terrorists, big money knows no international boundaries.
Bingo!!!
They are useful idiots with incurable NDS virus or with any variant opposing anyone not to their liking.
Amazing how many in the world are deranged. Europe perhaps leads the pack as they commit continent wide suicide
The Israeli Left sounds like the American Left in protests and criticism of the war. TDS in the US and NDS in Israel. They are both a moral vacuum whose protests are nothing but empty voids with signs that echo the same. They are despicable groups who root for the enemies of their countries through these protests. It's easy to hold up an anti-war sign, very simple. Walk for a few hours, scream moral superiority slogans, while the military puts their lives on the line so they can continue their shouting. This is really not surprising when after October 7th, Miki and Tami Mark, peace activists who were murdered by those they befriended. Their friends said they would continue their work, and while that is noble, it is also far from reality of the situation. Yes, criticism is fine if it is legitimate, but these protests are part of the Left's agenda. What do they actually do to improve or change what they believe is wrong? As you have said, change can come from voting, but when a group still doesn't respect the results, they will proceed as usual.
Leftists bein leftists.
Forgive them Lord for they know not how to think
The author accuses the protestors of gaslighting. I think that this is projection. That 1000 people can gather, during a war against Israel's avowed enemies, to protest against that war, is actually courageous, whether you agree or not - and is also testimony to the strength of Israel's democracy.
It is obvious that these 1000 protestors are protesting the government. But there can be many reasons to protest it. It is probable that most people that oppose the current government - according to polls, a majority of the population - do not oppose the prosecution of the war against the IRGC and Hezbollah. These few protestors do, in fact, oppose that war - which, as the author concedes, is their right - and thus they do not gaslight anyone.
Were the protest held against the government's policies, e.g. against HOW they prosecute this war - such as bribing the economically and militarily non-contributing sectors of society with billions of Shekel just to keep them in the coalition, while pressuring the contributing sectors with ever more taxes and reserve duty days - then such demonstrations would attract hundreds of times more protestors. Everyone understands that this is not feasible when the missiles fly. But their time will come.
The author tries to lump together a small section of anti-war activists with the vast number of Israelis who are clear-eyed about the need to combat their enemies, and that are also appalled at their government, the most incompetent ever, that puts its own survival above all else, preventing elections by all means possible, sowing discord for electoral purposes rather than trying to unify a country that is at war. That has nothing to do with "Leftism". The author is gaslighting us.
Actually, she's right and you're wrong. Fortunately for Israel a large chunk of the leftist protestors are old and the young are very supportive of the government, Israel and Judaism.
Actually you are wrong. If you are supportive of Israel and Zionism, then you oppose this incompetent, anti-Zionist government. You would be right if Judaism were equivalent to the money-grabbing, illiteracy-promoting, military service-opposing ultra-orthodox parties that this government is based upon. But that is not what Judaism is.
I happen to be Israeli and I, along with the vast majority of the country support our government. You make the usual leftist assertions without a shred of evidence or fact.
This is indeed a topic more for Israelis than Americans. As you know there are many jews here in America that are leftists first and foremost. This was most apparent when they supported the notion of court packing here to get control of the judiciary as the left has done in israel at the highest levels.
I'm an American Jew who does not understand those Israelis who cannot see the existential threat that Israel/they face(s) ALWAYS. In fact, I don't understand any Jew who cannot see it. As for Ha'aretz, the protesters having that level of cognitive dissonance is suicidal.
The fact that the current gov't, which was formed with 64 out of 120 Knesset seats BEFORE the Oct 7 disaster, is holding on to power with its fingernails and is doing everything possible to avert early elections, indicates that they know that they do not currently enjoy the support of a majority of the electorate.
And coloring someone "leftist" does not relieve you from engaging with the arguments raised.
Hey Danny,
Run for the Knesset and give your speeches there.
You support the triple existential threat of the charedi lifestyle being enabled by the current government, which if allowed to continue on its current trajectory will doom us all?
Please clarify.
I can guarantee that a majority of Israelis do NOT support this, even if they do support this very necessary war.
Bibi is anti-Zionist?
You're very amusing and dead wrong.
You make statements about the government as though they are indisputable truths when in reality you seem to have an ax to grind and cannot state the obvious—that Bibi was the right PM chosen for this time. Who else could have done what had to be done? Honestly, NDS mimics TDS. I’m in the US, and people say Netanyahu is “bad” because it is popular Left indoctrination, not because they know anything about him. I still think often of what an Israeli said about Trump in his first term (when I had a case of TDS)—“I can’t stand you, but I love you very much.” Perfect and honest. Two opposing realities can exist at the same time. Try it.
“I can’t stand you, but I love you very much.”
My wife says something like that to me quite often.
The analogy with the "No Kings" , anti Trump rallies in the US is hard to miss. Those folks too, lost an election and now have to live under the policies of the Trump administration, which they despise. Seeking relevance is all they have left.
This essay comes across as an apologia for a rotten, corrupt, dangerous Israeli government. Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, Smotrich and their ilk have persistently worked to undermine Israeli democracy, dehumanize its own Arab citizens, pamper extreme religious parasites on the body politic, and generally work against the interests of the Jewish State in favor of their own self-aggrandizement and/or messianic extremism. The protests may be understood in this light. As to being anti-war, one wonders how irrational this is in, light of the fact that no strategy or end-game has been articulated, and the leaders of the current government have long since exhausted any claim to being trusted to do the right thing. Netanyahu himself was the architect of the disastrous strategy that for years empowered Hamas, and the buck stops wiith him regarding the negligence that allowed October 7 and the ensuing war to happen.
Personally, I support the war, though with enormous misgivings about the same apparent lack of a strategy for how it ends, and what happens then. If Israel had leaders worthy of my trust, I'd be far less inclined to waver or to protest.
So true! I feel a bit sorry for them.
“The current Israeli government did not seize power. It was voted into office by a majority of Israelis. Seventy-one percent of Israelis voted; Netanyahu’s bloc went on to win 64 of the 120 seats.”
Just to clarify, Netanyahu’s coalition was NOT in fact voted for by a majority of voters. Hundreds of thousands of votes for the left wing parties Meretz and Balad were lost when they failed to cross the threshold. If I recall correctly, those who voted for coalition parties comprised just under 50% of all voters. Only due to the vagaries of the Israeli political system did Netanyahu’s bloc win 64 seats. In the UK the discrepancies can be much worse ( as we saw in their most recent election) so this phenomenon is not unique to Israeli democracy.
A small but important correction.
The leftist are not the only perennial protesters . Hasidim also protest about something practically non stop . I'd take exception to repeated disclaimer about their right to protest . This wasn't an abstract protest . This was a street protest .
The protesters not only didn't have the right to street protest, they had an order of Home Command against gatherings during almost incessant rocket bombardment with exception given, for some reason to 50 "protesters" for this particular protest against the war. These protests interfere with and take resources from the efforts to help population being bombarded and even that 50 people allowance for the protest should be investigated as to why and by whom it was given .
The protestors are probably getting 500 NIS per day from George and Alex Soros.
Amazing, the protests you can get if you pay people enough.