In the middle of the most penetrating trauma, the unit. Hours after Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 They witnessed a reborn sprouted from the blood puddles. The same people who, days before, faced in the streets, suddenly, they took hand, hugged, tears dried. The Cold blood murders of 1,139 of their fellow citizens and the kidnapping of another 250 They had enough power to unify the most polarized Israeli society in recent times. The whole political spectrum joined. But that unexpected spell barely lasted a few months. Now, the places are again full of rage, despair and fierce hatred to the government. From the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem officesThey do not seem, however, hear these clamor.
“Normally, in war societies, and especially Israeli society, there are usually much more lucidity, unity And a common purpose of public interest, “explains the doctora gayil talshirpoliticalologist and expert in Israeli trends and public opinion of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “In Israel, there was also this unit effect, but in reality, just a few months later, the Polarization resurfaced strongly And today most of the Israelis think that their country is more polarized than before, ”he tells the newspaper. After the attack, the polarization He dissolved, but did not disappear. The fierce war against Gaza made her bloom again. “The last two and a half years have been The toughest for Israel since its independence Due to the double attack, “he says.
Months of previous clashes
Before the blackest Saturday in Israel’s history, the country had been faced for several months. “When this government assumed power, it did it with a plan to concentrate all executive powers in the hands of the prime minister and weaken Israeli liberal democracy; Thus, the Israeli people have been fighting a fierce against this executive for two years that aims to make Israel go from being a democracy to a kind of autocracy “complaint TALSHIR. At that time, it seemed that nothing could go worse. But it was. In the morning of October 7, 2023hundreds of rockets thrown from the Gaza Strip woke up to the Israeli people. At the same time, thousands of militiamen of Hamás and other Palestinian factions detonated the Fortified gate that had three decades suffocating the population of Gaza and razed the south of the country.
“When this government assumed power, it did so with a plan to concentrate all the powers of the Executive in the hands of the prime minister and weaken Israeli liberal democracy; thus, the Israeli people have been two and a half years fighting a fierce fight against this executive that aims to make Israel go from being a democracy to a kind of autocracy”
What came later were 731 days of brutal Israeli military offensive. Almost 70,000 dead Palestinians. More than 800 military casualties on the Israeli side. The devastated gaza strip. An entire people starving. Still 48 Israeli hostages languishing in the enclave. Only 20 of them are still alive. “This is the longest war in which Israel has ever been involved, and for more political than military interests, “says Talshir. The perpetuation of the conflict has allowed Israeli prime minister, Binyamine Netanyahuevade the Accountability by him Intelligence error which was Hamas’s attack on October 7. Keep expand wars on multiple fronts —In these two years, Israeli bombs have impacted Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Irano to Bank occupied – he has also facilitated to escape from his corruption judgment.
Manifestation of hostage relatives against the Netanyahu government, last August in Tel Aviv. / ABIR SULTAN / EFE
Extreme right
In addition, its ultra -right partners have taken advantage of the military offensive to let it fly His expansionist fantasies. But the desire to occupy the Gaza Strip of the Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Italy Ben Gvirtwo radical settlers with incendiary speeches are not collected by the population. “There is one dissonance between what people want and what the government proposes, “he explains Mauricio Lepchnikactivist contrary to the occupation of the Palestinian territories. “The extreme right circles are those who are currently controlling the government, but also the majority of institutionsfrom the Police, the Army, now the Secret Service and probably also in the future the rest of the institutions in the country, “he tells this newspaper.
Every weekend tens of thousands of Israelis They go to the streets demanding an agreement that bring back to hostages and put an end to war. According to a survey conducted by Dr. Tenthir with Nimrod Nir at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 79% of Israelis They prefer “overwhelmingly” end the Gaza campaign in exchange for the release of hostages. The numbers demonstrate the abyss between the Israeli people and their government. 78% of Israelis prefer normalization with Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, before the Annexation of the occupied West Banksupported by 32% of those consulted. Just 43% defends the Gaza Annexationand the 57% prefer a Palestinian state demilitarized under Arab supervision.
No political leadership
“However, there is no clear political leadership to which the entire anti -government movement supports, There is no leader that can, at least for now, be that person who will lead the political change, despite there is a huge social fracture “says Lapchnik, who works as a spokesman for Ayman Odeh, Member of the KNESET, the Israeli Parliament, and leader of the joint list, a political alliance of two Arab-Palestinian parties. “I don’t think Israeli society could have overcome the trauma of October 7nor that it will be able to overcome it in these next years, because there is a intention by the government in bringing this trauma again and not letting the Israeli people heal; wants to continue exploiting it with the aim of create more hatredmore desire or more desire to rematch and achieve its goal of keeping the country in a war situation, and constant alarm, “he adds.
A few weeks ago, Netanyahu responded to growing international and commercial isolation with the defense that the Israeli economy must become a “Superspart “. “From the perspective of Netanyahu and his coalition, there is no international community, only the administration [del presidente estadounidense, Donald] Trump, but, for Israeli society, Israel’s isolation is devastating, and is directly related to Netanyahuhis government and his policies regarding Gaza, “says Talshir.” It is a very dangerous situation not only for the state of Israel but also For the Jewish people In general, “says Lapchnik, listing the recent mortal attacks against synagogues abroad.” I don’t think there has been in the recent history of the Jewish people Someone who has put the Jewish population as danger both in Israel and the entire world and Netanyahu and its government, “he concludes.
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