- Activist criticizes war’s futility
- Israelis demand ceasefire, normalcy
- Peace process for hope
Avital Suisa, 39, expressed her lack of faith in the ongoing conflict and challenged the feasibility of attaining its objectives.
“This war serves no purpose.”
This forthright stance is not typical of Israelis, and Suisa is no exception.
She is a West Jerusalem-based activist who steadfastly supports the two-state solution, despite the increasing societal apathy towards that stance in Israel and the consolidation of one-state discrimination.
Suisa frequently visits the occupied West Bank, where she endeavours to dissuade and repel colonisers from targeting the Bedouin population of Palestine, who are particularly susceptible to harm.
Nevertheless, despite Suisa’s dissenting stance on Israeli politics and her minority status in terms of activism, there is a growing chorus for a cessation of hostilities in Israel, which can be attributed to a multitude of factors.
There exists a divergence of opinions regarding the most effective approach to rescuing Israeli detainees captured by Hamas; some contend that igniting hostilities in Gaza imperils Israel’s long-term security. While some desire only a momentary cessation of hostilities, others, such as Suisa, desire an irrevocable cessation of hostilities.
Following an assault on Israel by Hamas’s Qassam Brigades and other Palestinian armed factions on October 7, during which 1,139 individuals were killed and nearly 250 were captured, Israel has claimed the lives of over 30,600 Gazans, destroying over 70 per cent of the enclave, and starving the civilian population.
Although Israel’s official objective has been to “eradicate Hamas,” its deliberate and disproportionate use of scorched-earth tactics has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians, including women and children.
The heinous acts have generated international indignation and prompted officials from the United States and Europe, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, to advocate for a cessation of hostilities for six weeks, which commenced on March 4.
But those requests for a mere temporary halt fall short of Suisa’s expectations.
“It is abhorrent that nearly 1,200 people lost their lives on October 7; some of them perished in gruesome fashions.” Suisa said, “However, that does not justify killing over 30,000 people in Gaza, including many children and women, who did nothing to me.”
Trade of captives
Families of Israeli detainees held by Hamas staged a march from southern Israel to downtown West Jerusalem on Sunday, demanding their loved ones’ immediate release. Many in the throng expressed their support for a ceasefire that would allow their loved ones to return home.
“I am aware that it is not feasible to repatriate every hostage [via military methods].” “Bringing them all back through a deal is the logical course of action,” said Shay Dickmann, an Israeli medical student 28 years old whose cousin was taken captive and whose aunt was murdered on October 7.
She declined to specify whether she was in favour of a permanent or temporary ceasefire but acknowledged that “making a deal with a terrorist organisation is problematic” and that she respects the Israeli government’s decision.
Israel, the United States, and the European Union classify Hamas as a “terrorist” organisation; however, a substantial number of Palestinians regard the organisation as a legitimate resistance force.
Despite her stance regarding the possibility of reaching an agreement with Hamas, Dickmann stated that she desires peace with her neighbours and not vengeance.
In November, 240 Palestinian detainees were exchanged for the release of 110 Israeli captives as a result of a temporary ceasefire that was mediated.
A further exchange of captives could provide innumerable Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, whose family members have been forcibly detained or vanished by the Israeli army, renewed optimism.
Israel currently holds approximately 9,070 Palestinian political captives, according to the monitoring organisation Addameer, which reports a significant escalation from the 5,200 detainees held before October 7.
A considerable number of Palestinians, including minors, were apprehended and presently incarcerated in administrative detention without charges, due to their support for the Palestinian cause in Gaza or their display of the Palestinian flag.
The number of detainees does not include the numerous Palestinians being detained, interrogated, and tortured in improvised Israeli bases and detention facilities in Gaza.
The retaliatory violence launched by Israel against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza has prompted several Israelis to demand an end to hostilities permanently.
“In my opinion, we must achieve a ceasefire before we can begin working towards a better region and place [for Israelis and Palestinians].” “That would be a beginning,” said Naima, an Israeli whose last name was withheld because of the divisive political climate in her country.
A restoration to regularly
Numerous Israelis expressed their longing for a return to normalcy, even though the impact on daily life in Israel has been negligible in comparison to the devastation of Gaza, which has significantly disrupted the lives of 2.3 million Palestinians.
The Israeli economy, nevertheless, has been adversely affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Its construction industry has been severely impacted, and since October 7, both domestic and international tourism, which had difficulty recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, have reached a plateau.
Plia Kettner, 39, stated that the majority of the service sector has experienced financial setbacks, including her restaurant, which serves tourists.
She said, “I hope we can recover once the war concludes and tourists resume.”
Kettner further stated that notwithstanding the financial challenges, she thinks that approximately half of the populace would rather have an ongoing indefinite conflict with Gaza until Hamas is eradicated, whereas the other half considers negotiating an armistice to secure the release of Israeli captives to be the most pressing concern.
On the contrary, a consensus among analysts and commentators has been that Hamas is indefensibly formidable to defeat and that an all-out assault on Gaza would not bolster the security of Israel.
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Suisa stated that the level of suffering caused by Israel’s invasion of Gaza is such that it will cause another “cycle of violence” to continue.
“I believe that the fact that so many Gaza residents were raised in such deplorable conditions influenced them to become the [combatants] they were,” she stated.
Suisa was alluding to Israel’s 18-year blockade of Gaza, which rights organisations claim has rendered the enclave an “open-air prison,” deprived generations of graduates of optimism for the future, and precipitated the severe poverty with which Gaza has struggled for years.
“[Some Israelis] who claim that the Palestinians only wish to murder us have no credibility. Suisa stated, “I wish Israel would commit to a peace process that inspires optimism in all.”
“I am determined to disrupt the recurring pattern.”
