Israel: ‘The majority want a hostage deal that ends the war’
Israelis protesting to demand a cesasefire and hostage deal. Photo: Standing Together
The Histadrut, the main trade union federation in Israel, declared a general strike in support of the mass protest
by Uri Weltmann and Federico Fuentes
Israel has been rocked by an explosion of protests in recent weeks, with trade unions staging a general strike on September 2 and an estimated 750,000 Israelis taking to the streets on September 7 to demand a hostage deal with Hamas.
The protests came in the wake of news reports on August 30 alleging that Hamas had executed six more Israeli hostages. Family members of the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 blame Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not doing enough to secure a deal that could have halted the fighting and seen them return home.
Standing Together is a left-wing Israeli Jewish-Arab social movement that has been campaigning for a permanent ceasefire and lasting peace. Federico Fuentes spoke to Standing Together national field organiser Uri Weltmann about the protests and their impact on Israeli politics.
Could you give us a sense of the recent mass protests and general strikes of the past couple of weeks?
Following news that Hamas militants had executed six Israeli hostages imprisoned in an underground tunnel in the Gaza Strip, anti-government protests in Israel, which have been ongoing for months, exploded in size. Hundreds of thousands have since filled streets in Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and other major cities, confronting police, blocking roads and facing arrest.
The Histadrut, the main trade union federation in Israel and which has a rather conservative leadership, declared a general strike in support of the mass protest on September 2. Large sections of the Israeli economy were affected: teachers did not show up for school and kindergartens, municipal workers did not report to work in city halls, and all international flights were cancelled as airport workers went on strike.
After several hours of general strike, the labour courts issued an injunction ordering workers to resume work, which the Histadrut leadership respected. Nonetheless, major disruptions rippled through Israeli society.
The mass anti-Netanyahu protest movement enjoys widespread support among Israelis, as demonstrated by numerous public opinion polls. While the main catalyst of this movement is the demand to free the Israeli hostages through a negotiated deal, the fact is that any such deal can only be achieved through a ceasefire agreement that ends the current war.
This notion was reinforced by United States President [Joe] Biden in a May speech where he called for resuming negotiations based on releasing all Israeli hostages in exchange for a permanent cessation of hostilities.
When people in Israel rally behind the protest movement for such a deal, they understand this. In a recent i24news poll, 52% of respondents said they support a hostage release deal that includes ending the war and a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza.
Netanyahu remains isolated, as he tries to sell the Israeli public the lie that a hostage deal is possible while continuing the war.
The focus of the protests has been on the Israeli hostages and a ceasefire. What about the issue of mounting Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza and increasing military incursions into the West Bank? Are these issues also being raised either by the general protest movement or by the left, including Standing Together?
The death toll in the Gaza Strip has been staggeringly high and continues to rise on a daily basis. The scale of human suffering there is beyond words. International experts warn of an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe given the lack of proper food and medical supplies.
At the same time, Israeli soldiers and violent settlers have shot dead hundreds of Palestinians in what is now the deadliest year in recent times in the West Bank too.
The mainstream of the protest movement avoids addressing these realities, which are not only horrific in themselves but create conditions that will undermine the future wellbeing and safety of people in Israel for years to come.
Left-wing organisations and movements — including Standing Together — are intervening in the mass demonstrations to raise these issues, each with their own style, strategy and theory of change.
Standing Together activists in major cities have been marching in “purple contingents”, handing out bilingual signs in Hebrew and Arabic, and chanting anti-occupation slogans such as “In Rafah and Sderot, children want to live”.
Our main message is that a policy of perpetual war, escalation and occupation is not only depraved and inhumane, but also dangerous and unviable. As a Jewish Israeli, the actions of my government deeply undermine my interests, rather than serve them.