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As Netanyahu’s war in Gaza drags on, splits in Israeli society deepen

Thousands of reservists have called for an end to fighting and a hostage deal as opposition grows to the prime minister and the extremists in his government
Protest in Tel Aviv demanding an end to attacks on Gaza and a prisoner exchange.
Anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv earlier this month
MOSTAFA ALKHAROUF/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES

The veteran air force commander had called for the downfall of Binyamin Netanyahu even before the Israeli government directed its troops into a war that led to the death of his beloved grandson.

As Israel renews its offensive in Gaza and the war rumbles on, Asaf Agmon’s anger towards Netanyahu’s government has only amplified, and he is not alone. An increasing number of army personnel have stopped showing up for duty, putting a wedge between the war plan devised by politicians and the soldiers asked to carry out the orders.

“They are doing it silently. They just notify that they’re not coming in,” Agmon said the day after a meeting with pilots and air traffic controllers, who are in charge of the skies over Gaza. “It has started to awaken waves inside the air force where the commanders now understand there’s a problem. The bitterness [over the war] will grow and expand. They have a total lack of faith in the commands of the air force. This is very serious. Very serious.”

Asaf Armon, 77, standing outside, wearing a dark sweater and jeans, next to a wooden building.  He is wearing a military dog tag.
Asaf Agmon, whose grandson was killed in southern Lebanon last year
NOT KNOWN, CLEAR WITH PICTURE DESK

After the horrors of October 7, reservist soldiers showed up in droves to fight in the Israel Defence Forces in a united front against its enemies. But after a year and a half of Israel’s longest war, and with dozens of hostages still in Hamas captivity since that fateful day, dissenting voices against military action in Gaza are getting louder.

Israel’s conscription army is relatively small and made up of young soldiers. It relies on its much larger reserve corps during extended conflict — a reportedly dwindling number that has led the army to push conscripts into Gaza.

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“There’s an emotional and patriotic dissonance. On the one hand, you don’t believe in the government; on the other, if you’re a patriot, the last thing you want to say is that you’re not going to serve. That was unprecedented and only happened over the judicial reforms,” said a reservist special forces soldier said on condition of anonymity. “After October 7, no one will say it overtly.”

Last Israeli-American hostage begs for freedom in Hamas video

Thousands of reservists and veterans have instead shown their opposition through a carefully worded letter, published in Israel’s media outlets, calling to end the war for a hostage deal.

“The letter is a smoking gun,” explained the special forces soldier. “This post-traumatic society has already coped with a massive refusal. There is now a silent syndrome because no one, apart from the aloof pilots, will go public with this.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in northern Gaza Strip wearing body armor.
The Israeli prime minister on a visit to northern Gaza this week. He claims protests weaken Israel in the face of its enemies
AFP

The letter, which triggered a wave of similar appeals by the navy, elite units and Mossad, the foreign intelligence agency, was enough for the government to pledge to oust those who signed their names, in line with what analysts say is a typical Netanyahu tactic to create a binary discourse between loyalists and radical fringe saboteurs. In the UK 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews signed their own letter to condemn Israel’s renewed offensive in Gaza. “Israel’s soul is being ripped out by Binyamin Netanyahu” they wrote.

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“It’s impossible to say whether the government will rationally say to itself: ‘We have a problem with morale, we can’t go on with this war forever’,” said Dahlia Scheindlin, a political analyst and columnist at Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper. “Or whether it, or the messianic, religious fundamentalists in the government — for them, there are no obstacles, this is God’s work — will say: ‘The war must continue until Israel possesses Gaza … and Netanyahu is going along with this’.”

Agmon’s grandson was shot in the heart for “God’s work”. Sergeant Gur Kehati was killed by Hezbollah when protecting an Israeli settler on a controversial archaeological war-tour of Jewish sites in southern Lebanon last year. Agmon says his death was unnecessary and has fuelled his response to stand against Netanyahu and the extremists in his government and their perceived jingoism.

Photo of Gur Kehati, 20, a fallen soldier.
Sergeant Gur Kehati

“We’re on the precipice of crossing into totalitarianism. Bibi is doing in Gaza what the majority of the nation does not want him to do,” said Agmon, using Netanyahu’s nickname.

“My opinions were as such before the tragedy befell my family. But it shows that in this war we have a lot of unjustified killing. But at least we can try and do these things now and bring home the hostages. There is a minority that says we can sacrifice the hostages for total victory — but for a year and a half we haven’t managed to achieve those goals.”

While increasing the pressure on Netanyahu may push his government to strike a deal for the return of the hostages, it may mean another release of some — but not all — of those still in Gaza and a return to fighting. Netanyahu’s coalition is reluctant to commit to ending the war completely and Hamas does not wish to relinquish all of its bargaining power.

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A released hostage receives support at an anti-government protest in Tel Aviv.
Gadi Moses in Tel Aviv after being released as a hostage by Hamas. There are 59 remaining hostages
ALEXI ROSENFELD/GETTY IMAGES

Agmon’s pain represents a deepening chasm between Netanyahu and the military, which is joining a growing list of institutions and personnel his government has blacklisted — including thus far ineffective attempts to fire the country’s spy chief, Ronen Bar, whom Netanyahu blames for the security failures of October 7. The Supreme Court, which the government says has too much overarching and unelected power, overturned his sacking.

The divide also mirrors events prior to October 7, which brought an abrupt end to mass protests and the refusal to serve of over 1,000 pilots who said they would stop reporting for duty unless legislation to overhaul the judiciary was cancelled. Many of those in opposition to the war now are the same who protested back then.

The refusals led Bar to warn that the judicial reforms endangered national security. Netanyahu said the opposite: that the open societal division and perceived weakness in the army provoked Israel’s enemies to attack — something he repeated after the letter was published.

“Refusal to serve is refusal to serve — even if it is implied and in polite language,” Netanyahu said. “Expressions that weaken the IDF and strengthen our enemies in wartime are unforgivable.”

The army has been ushering the refuseniks, as those who refuse service are labelled, into individual and group conversations where they are first cajoled, and then threatened with being fired should they not show up for duty, according to military personnel familiar with such conversations.

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The exact number of those deciding not to report for reservist duty is unknown, given widespread reluctance to openly oppose the war in this manner. Some are also refusing not over ideological reasons but due to exhaustion; civilians are required to leave their daily lives, work and families to fight for prolonged periods.

Some think the idea of a revolt is overblown. “The letters are a PR stunt. The majority are still serving, and the majority will always serve. The reasons for not showing up are not ideological, they’re practical, and the letters make cynical use of people who are suffering and taking on the burden of war to manoeuvre suffering to political ideology,” said Alon Tirer, the founder of Israel Emergency Aid who is in contact with thousands of soldiers every month.

“We’re at war, and this is the army of the people,” said Tirer. “At the end of the day, say what you want, but don’t cross the line — the red line for Israelis is refusal to serve.”

Agmon says he wants to do his duty, particularly in the face of wider security threats in which refusal could have severe ramifications, but believes that the government has led the military into a quagmire.

“It is the duty of the air force to stay in front of the Iranian threat. We must do our all to be prepared in the face of Iran. I want to do my duty there. But the majority say, what is happening in Gaza is wrong. It endangers the hostages. It doesn’t serve our security, and it also kills innocents. The dilemma about what to do is huge.”

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