JPOST
The protest movement is weaponizing the hostage crisis
Benjamin Anthony
August 14, 2024

Internal Israeli discord was on full display before October 7. White hot rallies surrounded judicial reform. Sufficiently complacent about the security of their state, too many Israelis designated their fellow citizens as their mortal enemies – a luxury no Israeli has any right to indulge in. Hamas took the temperature of the Israeli street and struck a blow from which it will take Israel generations to recover. Israelis responded with a simple cris-de-coeur: unity! Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, both opposition members and former IDF chiefs of staff, joined the war cabinet as minister and observer, respectively. Reservists flooded bases in unprecedented numbers. Protests largely paused, and where they did take place, they focused on the urgent need to retrieve all of the 251 hostages kidnapped into Gaza. READ MORE