Israeli Opposition To The Gaza War Is Growing — And Netanyahu Couldn’t Care Less

-Analysis-

PARIS — One word is taking up more space in Israeli debates: pariah. Some Israelis fear their country is becoming a pariah on the international stage because of its relentless war in Gaza — the deaths of children, the use of hunger as a weapon.

This was unthinkable 19 months ago, after Oct. 7, 2023 — but everything has changed.

Mounting criticism from Europe is feeding this fear. One only had to listen to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, speaking Tuesday on the public radio channel France Inter, to hear the escalation in tone and the threat of Israel’s isolation.

The incident that occurred Wednesday in the West Bank — where the Israeli army fired warning shots near a delegation of diplomats, including a French one — won’t help matters.

Retaliatory measures are still distant and limited, but they’re already impacting the Israeli debate. For many, they’re a sign that the endless war in Gaza is not in Israel’s interest.

Gaining ground

This debate had barely been audible since Oct. 7, but it is now gaining ground. For months, the massive demonstrations by Israelis were mostly aimed at prioritizing the hostages rather than ending the war.

That is changing. According to polls, a majority of Israelis now support ending the war. That hasn’t stopped the government from intensifying it, as long as it holds a parliamentary majority. But if elections were held today, Netanyahu and his coalition would lose, according to a poll published yesterday.

Civil society is speaking out, too. Half of the reservists have not responded to the call-up. And more and more voices are openly calling for an end to a war whose goals — and above all, whose methods — many do not understand. They are also raising moral questions.

A moral awakening

In Israeli daily Haaretz, a liberal newspaper with a small readership, Einav Lévy, a reservist paratrooper officer who was on the front lines against Hamas in the south as early as Oct. 8, expresses his doubts. “One day,” he says, “my son will ask me, ‘Dad, how did you act? What decisions did you make?’ I want to be able to look him in the eyes and give the right answers, based on principles…One day, they will ask us. We must be able to answer.”

At this point, it’s not enough to truly worry Netanyahu.

Yair Golan, also a reservist officer who distinguished himself on Oct. 7 and who now leads the Democrats party — the last bastion of Israel’s left — said it bluntly: “Israel is becoming a pariah state, like South Africa once was, if it doesn’t start acting like a sane country again. A sane country does not wage war on civilians, does not kill babies.” His statement caused an uproar.

At this point, it’s not enough to truly worry Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Israel has a history of wars that begin with public consensus and end with a peace movement. The 1982 operation in Lebanon is the best example, culminating in the largest protest in the country’s history. We’re not there yet. But attention must be paid to this awakening of Israeli public opinion, which is rejecting the war madness descending on Gaza.