Right-wing intransigence takes heavy toll on Israel

Like Tisha B’Av, 7 October will be a day seared in the memory of Jews. It evokes memory of the Holocaust as the largest calamity to befall the Jewish people since World War II and calls into question the adage, “Never Again!”

It has rent asunder Israeli society, which was already being torn apart by the mass street protests against judicial reforms before 7 October. Like then, the right-wing government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed determined to ride roughshod over existing judicial structures to wrangle more control over the appointment of judges. This would ultimately tame the independence of the judiciary.

In spite of all the trauma of the street demonstrations and even the events of 7 October, Justice Minister Yariv Levin still appears determined to push ahead with these judicial reforms.

Since Hamas’s cold-blooded assassinations of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin; Alexander Lobanov; Carmel Gat; Almog Sarusi; Eden Yerushalmi; and Ori Danino, the tempo and urgency of the street protests has only increased.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are blocking highways and even storming the Gaza border to try to influence Netanyahu to change his unyielding stance on the hostage negotiations. The axiom on all their placards is, “Bring them home NOW”.

Sadly, the right-wing government appears to be unmoved by the pleas of the families and friends of the hostages and by the street protests. Instead, Netanyahu has doubled down on his demand that any hostage deal that doesn’t incorporate all his redlines would be a victory for Hamas and a reward for it to continue to murder hostages.

This Solomonic dilemma between a hostage deal with a ceasefire as opposed to continuing the mission to destroy Hamas is rupturing Israeli society to its core and is unsustainable. Its resolution will ultimately require a political solution in which the prime minister will have to come to an accommodation with a largely diminished but not completely eliminated Hamas.

The prime minister’s resolute and uncompromising stance has also exerted a heavy price on Israel in the international sphere.

Relations between South Africa and Israel are at the lowest ebb ever. Diplomatic relations have been severed and embassies closed.

The South African government openly supports Hamas, and Hamas leaders are accorded red carpet treatment when they visit. Hamas has an unofficial embassy in the Bo-Kaap, and even charities like Gift of the Givers supports and sustains Hamas.

A number of South African universities have severed academic exchanges with Israeli universities. Even President Cyril Ramaphosa has appeared at events calling for Palestine to be free “from the river to the sea”, unwittingly endorsing the total elimination of the Jewish state.

It’s a shameful and poignant gesture that neither Ramaphosa nor his government have found it in their hearts to be able to condemn Hamas for its murderous actions on 7 October. Instead, they have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, and launched a case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Immediately after 7 October, then International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor led a delegation to Iran, where it’s commonly believed that she received funding to launch the genocide case against Israel and finance for the African National Congress’s 2024 election campaign.

Since launching the case, a host of other countries including Columbia and Turkey have indicated that they wish to join South Africa in the ICJ case.

The multifarious enemies of Israel know full well that nothing could be more hurtful to the Jewish state and its long-suffering people than the accusation of committing genocide. Even though the actions of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza have resulted in a horrendous death toll and great suffering, its actions can in no way be equated to a genocide.

The IDF has gone to unprecedented measures to move civilians out of harm’s way, only to be accused of “forced migrations”. When the IDF has used the “knock bomb”, it has been accused of not giving occupants sufficient time to vacate.

When pamphlets have been dropped, fault has been found with the IDF’s instructions. When the IDF succeeds against all odds, as is the case at present, in allowing for the vaccination of 650 000 children, it receives little to no recognition.

When every country including Israel’s closest allies tried to persuade Israel not to enter Rafah, warning it of unleashing a “human catastrophe”, and Israel succeeded beyond all imagination to relocate safely nearly one and a half million refugees, the press ignored this achievement.

Israel’s closest allies have sung from the same hymn sheet, always cautioning it against any further attacks against Hamas for fear of causing more civilian casualties. The media war now portrays the war against Hamas as the “Gaza War”, and Israel is now portrayed as committing genocide against the Palestinian people. This attempt to rewrite the narrative is so remorseless and persistent, Israel will forever be tarnished by it.

Israel is now facing an existential war on all its fronts. This has been likened to the “Second War of Independence”, and its grinding persistence over nearly a year is weakening its economy and eliminating all sources of income such as tourism and trade. Calling up all its reservists is knocking the ability of many of its companies to function.

The threatened reprisals by Hezbollah for the death of its top commander, Fuad Shukr, and by Iran for the death in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, are hanging over Israel like the sword of Damocles. They are further curtailing a return to normalcy for the people who have to stay within proximity to bomb shelters, and for the economy, with all major airlines halting flights to and from Israel.

America’s resolve to stand by Israel if it’s attacked by Iran speaks volumes for the success of American deterrence and offers a ray of light in an otherwise dreadful predicament.

After a year out of hell, Israel needs a return to normality and relative calm to allow its soldiers and people time to recover from their trauma.

Most of all, it needs a government that will hearken unto the needs of its populace and empathise with their suffering. It needs new elections that hopefully will lead to a government without extremists that represents those in Israel who want to achieve national reconciliation and peace with all the people in the Middle East.

• Ben Levitas holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; a Master of Sciences from the London School of Economics; and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pretoria. He is a three-term chairperson of the Cape Council of the South African Zionist Federation.