Worlds away from the public outrage and cries of protest echoing through Tel Aviv’s packed streets on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beamed from the podium in Jerusalem, his words greeted with laughter and applause.
The contrast was unmistakable.
In Tel Aviv, tens of thousands of protesters demanded a ceasefire and the return of the hostages held in Gaza. In Jerusalem, Netanyahu spoke of “the unity of the people.”
On the streets, mothers and fathers of hostages cried for their release, begging the government to take the ceasefire deal on the table. But at a posh restaurant outside the Old City of Jerusalem, Netanyahu promised Israel was on “the path to victory” with a plan to widen the 22-month war in the battered enclave.
Protesters spoke of a country that needs to heal. Netanyahu celebrated the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
They called for accountability. He spoke of “a bright future ahead.”
The juxtaposition reflects the general attitude of Netanyahu and his government toward the broad Israeli consensus demanding an end to the war and the return of the remaining hostages: indifference and detachment.
Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, polls have repeatedly shown a clear majority of Israelis favoring any sort of deal that would bring the remaining 50 hostages home and end the fighting. Week after week, tens of thousands of protestors gather at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and at major intersections nationwide to support the families of the hostages and their struggle to secure the release of loved ones captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Following Netanyahu’s decision to escalate the war with a massive takeover of Gaza City, protests have intensified, drawing hundreds of thousands into the streets.
The scale of public mobilization and participation is difficult to ignore. On August 17, the hostages’ families spearheaded an unprecedented grassroots strike that organizers say drew nearly 500,000 people. That’s equivalent to 17 million in the United States.
And they keep coming out week after week.
On Tuesday, as part of an ongoing effort to pressure the government, the hostages’ families launched another day of protest which, according to organizers, assembled some 300,000 demonstrators in Tel Aviv for the concluding evening rally. “Enough!” shouted Sylvia Cunio, mother of the hostage brothers David and Ariel Cunio.
Solidarity is the driving force energizing the masses, says Haim Rubinstein, strategic consultant and one of the founders of the Hostages Families’ Forum.
“People come to the rallies to tell the families: This battle is not only yours, it’s every Israeli’s battle, over the character and spirit of the country, over the value of mutual responsibility upon (which) Israel was founded, Rubinstein said.”
“Israelis understand we are now at a decisive juncture – conquering Gaza or releasing the hostages. They come here to tell the government (to) end the war and bring our brothers and sisters back home.”
Protests ‘aiding Hamas’
Netanyahu appears unmoved by the groundswell of public pressure as he pushes forward with plans for a massive assault on Gaza City, disregarding the hostage families’ fears that the offensive could endanger their loved ones, 20 of whom are still believed to be alive. Moreover, he and his allies have slammed the protests, accusing them of aiding Hamas.
“Those who call for ending the war are pushing off the hostages’ release and guaranteeing the horrors of the massacre will return,” Netanyahu said last week, after the first day of mass protests.
The government’s apparent disconnect from the street doesn’t seem to deter the demonstrators. It is an essential part of what spurs them on.
“We come, first and foremost, to support the families and to shout about what is happening in our country,” Batya Aviram, one of the protestors, told CNN. “It gives me a chance to meet with amazing empathetic people who care and are willing to act so that Israel stays a sane country.”
She notes the messaging the demonstrations sends to the world: “We come so that people outside, in the world, see and hear us, so they know that the people of Israel are not their leadership, and know to distinguish between us and our government,”
Attention span war
The latest protests have already achieved tactical victories in the attention span war , bringing the hostage families’ struggle back to the top of the news agenda. The families vow to continue ramping up pressure as they believe it is the only way to force Netanyahu – and the White House – to move toward a deal.
“We are the water drops that wear down the stone, and something will eventually happen because we’re fighting for our future,” said Yael Adar, mother of deceased hostage Tamir Adar. “If we didn’t believe we could make a difference, we wouldn’t be here. This is the only way to bring them back home”.
Despite Netanyahu’s hardline and dismissive comments, apparent diplomatic openings emerged last week. After weeks of stalemate, Hamas accepted the latest Qatari- and Egyptian-mediated ceasefire proposal. However, over a week has passed since then, and Israel has yet to respond.
The prime minister’s priorities became starkly evident on Tuesday when he convened the security cabinet for the first time since the Gaza City operation was approved, and since Hamas accepted the new truce proposal.
The meeting coincided with mass protests in Tel Aviv. Butit was cut short due to Netanyahu’s scheduled celebration with the leadership of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. As protesters hit the streets, Netanyahu went out to dinner.
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