100 days of hell – for whom?

“A most justified war”

On Monday Jan 15, Nadav Tamir, Executive Director in Israel of the US-based liberal Zionist organisation JStreet, circulated an email message (pasted below this blogpost) marking 100 days since Hamas and other fighters from Gaza stunned Israel with a fatal attack on military and civilian targets in the south of the country.

Tamir’s statement, which does not seem to have been replicated by UK-based liberal Zionist organisations, expressed concern for Palestinians and distress at the actions of the Israeli government. He talked of “100 days of fear and devastation for Palestinian families in Gaza,”  “an incomprehensible level of destruction and pain meted out on Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” “truly disturbing, hate-filled rhetoric from members of the Netanyahu government calling for wanton violence and destruction against families in Gaza who had no connection to the crimes of Hamas” and admiration for those who “speak out and push back against such disgusting displays from members of our own government.”

This is in marked contrast to rhetoric emanating from last Sunday’s rally in Trafalgar Square in central London, where “100 days of hell” applied solely to Israelis’ experiences since October 7. Palestinians were either ignored or portrayed as, at best, dupes of Hamas terrorists out to slaughter all Jews. Recurring themes were Israel’s right to defend itself (subtext – at whatever cost to Palestinians) and Israel’s role as an icon of global liberty and security. Palestinians’ right to self defence, in Gaza or the West Bank, was not on the agenda.

It should be possible to empathise with the undoubted pain and trauma of a community shocked by the violent deaths of 1200 or more of their number, plus thousands injured, and the agony of families powerless to help loved ones held captive in besieged and war-ravaged Gaza, without demonising the 2.2 million people at the mercy of Israel’s vengeful military onslaught. It must be possible to call for the urgent release of the Israeli hostages without acting as cheerleaders for a state whose actions are causing untold suffering for Palestinians while putting those hostages in even greater danger.

Suella’s tears

There was little such nuance on display at Sunday’s rally where a number of media noted the presence of a recent former Conservative Home Secretary well known for denouncing pro-Palestinian demonstrations as “hate marches” and berating the police for not banning them.  The Daily Telegraph headline over its report read: “Suella Braverman cries during London pro-Israel rally.”

Christian Wakeford, a non-Jewish former Tory MP recently converted to Keir Starmer’s Labour and now vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel, was quoted in the Jewish Chronicle telling the crowd: “When Israel cries, we cry with you, when Israel mourns, we mourn with you, and when Israel stands, we stand with you. Am Yisrael Chai.”

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog told the crowd in a recorded message: “This battle isn’t between Israel and Hamas only; it is between those who choose life and liberty and those who sanctify and glorify death and destruction. This battle isn’t just about the safety of Israel’s borders, but about the safety of our global borders. This battle belongs to the entire free world.”

Lord Eric Pickles, the former Conservative cabinet minister who is now UK “special envoy for post-Holocaust issues”, addressed the rally describing himself as “a proud and unapologetic Zionist”. He told the crowd that Hamas is “looking to destroy Israel, and Western civilisation. So we need to understand that Israel is fighting for all of us”.

One of the organisers of the event said he had “never been prouder” of being Israeli, Zionist, and Jewish. Such sentiments are at odds with those expressed by growing numbers of Jews who are increasingly dissociating themselves from Israel and its actions and calling on Jewish institutions to do likewise. These are people who understand what 100 days of hell means for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Not so Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, who described the ongoing conflict as a “most justified war”. Hotovely is a staunch defender of Israel’s right to use indiscriminate force against Palestinians and has made clear her uncompromising opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state. She is the subject of a petition signed by more than 125,000 Brits calling on the UK government to expel her for repeated racist, genocidal statements. Her appointment in 2020 was opposed in a letter to the Foreign Office by more than 2000 British Jews alarmed at her extreme views.

Misplaced pride

Another platform speaker, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, has not only declined to support calls for a ceasefire, he has praised the “outstanding” performance of “our valiant  heroic soldiers”, implicating UK Jews in the actions of the Israeli military. Addressing a British synagogue audience in London earlier this month, Mirvis said “we can be immensely proud of the way in which the Israeli army has gone about its responsibility to defend the state and to bring the hostages back home. … We know that what is right is what we subscribe to…we can validate our feelings through knowing that what Israel is doing is the most outstanding possible thing that a decent responsible country can do for its citizens and its people.” It’s a pride that seems misplaced at a time when Israel is struggling to defend itself  before the International Court of Justice in The Hague against charges of committing genocide in Gaza. The charges are supported by well-documented evidence of genocidal intent.

Eylon Levy, spokesman for the Netanyahu government, has been awarded rock star status by Israel’s admirers but is much mocked by critics for his inability to grasp how his zealotry appears to those who do not share it.  His speech in Trafalgar Square, quoted approvingly by Jewish News, suggested that the Israeli deaths on October 7 had given supporters of Palestine “the thrill of their lives”. He called them “Marchers to save Hamas” who were “also calling for attacks on Britain. On one side, Hamas rapists and Houthi pirates, on the other side, Israel and the United Kingdom. I know which side we choose.”

Empathy alone is not enough

The extremism of some of this rhetoric – arrogant, hate-filled, treating critics as monsters whose arguments are beneath contempt – is extraordinary for being routinely expressed by establishment figures like those quoted above. Nadav Tamir of JStreet uses more empathetic language, but in the end his faith in the Zionist enterprise puts him on the same side of history as those glorifying Israel’s genocidal acts. His prime worry is “that the safe return of the hostages is no longer a priority.” All efforts must be devoted to ensuring that “the State of Israel fulfills its commitment to its citizens.”

He talks of “perhaps the most justified war in the history of the State of Israel”, echoing Tzipi Hotovely’s reference to a “most justified war”. Does he really believe, as he claims, that “The Biden administration is working on the issue intensely, and making it clear to the Israeli government that there is no “victory” that does not include the return of the hostages – that it is an illusion to think that the release of the abductees and the other goals of the war can be achieved through military means alone, and without negotiations, diplomacy and compromise”?

If the only pressure being applied is gentle admonishment from a US administration that continues to fund and arm the Israeli war machine, then recognising the Palestinians’ 100 days of hell will do nothing to prevent them lengthening into many more agonising weeks and months.

A message from Nadav Tamir, J Street Israel

Circulated by email on January 15

On October 7, I was in Boston – 5,000 miles from my family – at the start of a speaking tour on what it would take to make peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

From the first moment the news alerts came though – alongside frantic calls and messages – it was clear that something catastrophic was underway, an attack more cruel and obscene than anything I could have imagined.

My personal story is not that important, except for the fact that it represents the story of so many Israelis.

It feels meaningful to share it today, as a reminder of what we have all faced in the last 100 days: 100 days of pain and anguish for the hostages and their families. 100 days of grief and loss for the families of those murdered. 100 days of fear and devastation for Palestinian families in Gaza.

The dawning realizations hit hard when I first heard the news.

The lives of my friends and relatives in kibbutzim in southern Israel were in danger. My son and son-in-law would be called up for reserves in combat units. Our country would have no choice but to go to war, and a far-right government few Israelis trusted in would be at the helm.

There’s a feeling that grips almost every Israeli who is abroad upon hearing the news of strife at home, a desire to rush back immediately to be among our people in a difficult moment. That’s what I did, too.

On October 9, I arrived to a country at war, a country that was unrecognizable to me.

The scale of the horror was becoming clearer – the murders, the rapes, the unimaginable abuse and alongside them over 200 kidnappings and abductees.

I had family members and friends in kibbutzim near Gaza. Some were murdered, others kidnapped, the rest were evacuated from their homes. Children of good friends fell in battle.

Conflict in the north reached the house where I grew up. The members of my family who still live on Kibbutz Manara, near the Lebanese border, were evacuated. To this day, they do not know if and when they will return. The houses of the kibbutz, which had stood since 1943, have been hit by Hezbollah missiles – over half of the homes have been damaged.

In the face of all the destruction, hardship and grief of the war, there is a painful and bleeding wound at the heart of Israeli society: Over 130, women, men, young and old, including the now unfortunately famous two redheaded small children, are still held hostage in Gaza.

As soon as I returned to Israel, my feet led me to the headquarters of the families of the hostages.

Since then – for 100 days – together with many wonderful volunteers, I have been at the headquarters, working together with other former diplomats in a team to build global solidarity with abductees, some of whom have been abused, all of them exhausted, and many still in immediate danger.

The war that began as perhaps the most justified war in the history of the State of Israel continues without clear political goals – and, unfortunately, also with the feeling that the safe return of the hostages is no longer a priority.

At the same time, we’ve witnessed an incomprehensible level of destruction and pain metered out on Palestinian civilians in Gaza. It’s been accompanied by truly disturbing, hate-filled rhetoric from members of the Netanyahu government calling for wanton violence and destruction against families in Gaza who had no connection to the crimes of Hamas.

I’m deeply proud of those who – while grappling with the grief, devastation and anguish that all Israelis feel – haven’t hesitated to stand up, speak out and push back against such disgusting displays from members of our own government.

Shortly after October 7, I made a commitment to myself that I would do everything I could so that the State of Israel fulfills its commitment to its citizens.

As a former IDF officer and Israeli diplomat, I feel the failure of our political, military and intelligence systems acutely – failures which resulted in fellow citizens being murdered and kidnapped, literally from the safety of their homes.

Israel must not give up on the freedom of hostages. Not only for them and their families, but for all of us.

Our country was founded on the basis of the Jewish principles of mutual responsibility, redemption of captives, and “Tikkun Olam.” Our concern for every kidnapped citizen must be a sacred, guiding priority.

We are a powerful but small country, and it’s now the responsibility of our leaders to do everything they can to bring every abductee back home.

The price of them remaining in Gaza may not only be their death, but also the death of the connecting threads that hold our interwoven society together.

In this moment, I’m also deeply grateful to be a part of J Street’s movement. Together, we’ve continued to ensure American leaders do everything in their power to secure the safety and freedom of hostages – not only Americans, not only Israelis, but every last hostage.

The Biden administration is working on the issue intensely, and making it clear to the Israeli government that there is no “victory” that does not include the return of the hostages – that it is an illusion to think that the release of the abductees and the other goals of the war can be achieved through military means alone, and without negotiations, diplomacy and compromise.

But so far, we have failed.

100 days since they were taken from their families, 136 hostages remain in the hands of terrorists in Gaza. We can’t go back to normal life until they are all released. We cannot abandon them or their families. We must keep up the fight. We must not waver.

Thank you, sincerely, to the entire J Street community for your support and your solidarity in this unbearably painful moment.

Yours sincerely,
Nadav Tamir
Executive Director, J Street Israel