“Hey you guys okay? What’s happening?,” asked a relative from abroad a couple of hours ago.
I had just come out of our shelter after a siren so at first I thought the missile from Yemen was the reason for their text. But then I realized they meant the daylong strike to demand support of the hostages and demanding an end to the war.
As of this morning, many (though not most) businesses, universities and other institutions remain closed. Numerous citizens (myself included) pledged to cut or avoid participating in economic activities for the day. And hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets, protesting in every major intersection across the country, disrupting traffic across the entire country.
“Of course, we’re okay. The strike is a good thing!” I replied. “It’s the only way to make our voices heard— a desperate move to protest against the policies of a government that has lost the plot.”
A good thing. I reread my words and almost deleted them. Because a series of protests that we don’t expect will actually change much, is the one ray of light two months of doom. Because after the campaign in Iran, and the gains vs. Hezbollah and other crucial enemies, we are still stuck in a war that none of us understand. That after almost two years, the hostages aren’t back, the residents of the south have yet to rebuild, and our government has yet to get their act together. Instead, they’re spewing nonsense about “total defeat” and calling to “conquer Gaza.”
This means burying the country in a never-ending cycle of death, mourning and destruction to satisfy the whims of the zealots that, represent only a tiny minority of Israelis (but given our messed up political system, hold the coalition together.)
Today, the government accused protesters of siding with Hamas, prolonging the war, and “bearing responsibility for the next Oct 7.” As a brilliant strategist I once worked for I posted on Facebook, perhaps we need to listen closely. Because we’ve heard this before. These are the same grave errors Bibi made before October 7: sowing division, ignoring the warnings of his own security establishment, and coming up with plans to pay off Hamas/ appease Qatar. All to buy time, because there is no real strategy other than his own political survival.
So which protest did I join?
None (yet.)
Not for lack of interest, but because I was too busy driving two of my kids back to the army (after three weeks they hadn’t all been home in the same weekend) during the morning protests.
Because that’s the crux of the matter. The same people who are bearing the brunt of the economic and social effects of the war nobody supports continue to function as law-abiding citizens, paying taxes, and enlisting their kids to compulsory service.
The same people who drop everything to give their son a ride in order to allow him an extra hour of sleep before he has to return to his unit — in Gaza.
Further reading:
Daniel Gordis on why today’s strikes are dividing the country. “The Nation "Strikes" Back—more out of desperation than strategy”
Ongoing coverage by The Times of Israel
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum website (English version)
Hamas doesn’t need the protests to understand how divided society is. But it still amazes me to see the irresponsible statements and actions “leaders” that, far from healing, try to deflect responsibility by putting the blame on the citizens they failed ;and still fail) to protect. But you ask a very important question: What will the protests achieve? I honestly don’t know if it will affect the government’s actions. But I hope that at the very least it shows the families of the hostages that their plight is front and center, and maybe even sparks a thoughtful discussion re who we are where we want to be once this is finally over.
I am reading your column just after reading the one by Daniel Gordis that you've linked to here, Vivian. And all of this after seeing so many posts/images yesterday about the crowds, the solidarity. It's just all so heartbreaking. All of it.