OPINION: Isolating Israel strengthens its current government via siege mentality

Nearly two years on from the 7 October 2023 atrocities and in the midst of a seemingly endless war, 48 hostages remain in captivity and only around 20 are thought to be alive. Hamas is responsible for instigating this ongoing tragedy.  

Much attention has been paid to the Netanyahu government, the war in Gaza, the unacceptable statements by far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the government’s actions in the West Bank and its regressive domestic policies.

The UK and its allies should, however, give their attention to the Israeli opposition where – together with a vibrant civil society – we can shape an alternative future.

Israel’s opposition, including the Democrats – Labour’s sister party – have repeatedly pointed out that targeting Israel with boycotts or sanctions plays into the hands of Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters.

Champions of peace throughout the world should embrace rather than isolate Israel’s opposition.

Former prime minister and current leader of the opposition Yair Lapid is advancing a deal the west can get behind to end the war, create a horizon for Palestinians, and in the process normalise Israel’s relations with the Arab World.

And Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats, has a plan to work across the Israeli political spectrum and chart a different course. He wants to shape an “authentic Zionism” as a broad political home for liberal and democratic Israel. In his words, “a majority of Israelis want to live in a country based on liberal and democratic values.”

With elections due next year, if not earlier, opposition forces are on the rise in Israel. For over two years now, support for the governing coalition has been in the minority. Polls show a consistent level of support across Israel which would see the opposition win a majority in the Knesset, with Opposition leaders making significant gains.

The war in Gaza must end and all the hostages must be released. Singling out the world’s only Jewish state for boycott and sanctions is unjust and discriminatory – and, as Israel’s opposition repeatedly point out – undermine their efforts to replace the current government. Instead, it strengthens a ‘siege mentality’ – fuelled by international hostility, , which the right in Israel has amplified and activated to defeat progressive opponents again and again.

How, then, can we make a genuine and proactive contribution towards peace? This is why LFI is launching Voices for Change – a unique initiative giving those in Israel striving for democratic values, social justice and peace, the opportunity to share their challenges, hopes and achievements.

Like almost every democracy today, Israel wrestles with polarization and populism, and threats to its democratic values and institutions. In Israel, the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict and specifically the horrendous attack on October 7 dominate the situation.

Yet countless activists and organisations work tirelessly each day to change Israel for the better. Drowned out by an international focus that castigates Israel while virtually ignoring Hamas’s culpability, their voices are barely acknowledged by Israel’s critics.

Coming from every part of Israel’s diverse society, they are working to promote a peaceful end to the Palestinian conflict, advance the status of Palestinian citizens of Israel, defend the values of liberal democracy, promote gender and sexual equality, strengthen the rights of Israeli workers whether Jewish or Arab, and advance and promote a vision of cooperation with Arab states.

Israel’s opposition and its vibrant civil society should not be ignored. They should be embraced as partners for peace.

Dame Louise Ellman, former MP for Liverpool Riverside, is an LFI Board Member.

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LFI believes the change the world wants to see in Israel is already underway, led by extraordinarily courageous civil society activists. At this lowest ebb of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and at a time when peace seems at its most distant, the Voices for Change project represents a hopeful mosaic of voices pushing back against the pessimistic politics of division and fear.

Join these change-makers and click here to share their stories.