Itamar Greenberg, a 19-year-old Israeli anti-war activist, has been spat on in the street and targeted by online hate campaigns. He described his stance as rare in current Israeli society, where public clamor for war is growing. When asked if he should be afraid, he responded: “Yes! If I thought about it, I probably should be. I just don’t have time.”
Officially, 11 Israelis have been killed in Iranian strikes since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28. The actual casualty count or how many Iranian ballistic missiles may have penetrated the Iron Dome defense system remains unclear. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the site of an Iranian missile strike in West Jerusalem, used apocalyptic language, comparing Iranians to the biblical foe Amalek and stating: “We remember, and we act.”
Iran claims its strikes have been precise and strategic, hitting military sites, symbolic infrastructure, and even Netanyahu’s office, including locations like Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport, and Haifa. However, Israeli officials have denied many of these claims, dismissing them as “fake news.” A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) indicated overwhelming public support for the war, with 93% of Jewish-Israeli respondents backing strikes on Iran and 74% expressing support for Netanyahu.
Greenberg described an environment where anti-war protests are met with violence. At a recent demonstration, police beat and arrested participants, and he was subjected to an illegal strip-search. Previously, after being arrested for protesting the genocide in Gaza, prison guards threatened to carve a Star of David on his face. He noted: “It’s also getting increasingly violent.”
Lawmaker Ofer Cassif of the Hadash party stated that the atmosphere in Israel is highly toxic. He said: “When I leave the house, I’m more worried by the danger posed by a physical attack by fascists than I am by any missile.” Cassif explained that he and his colleagues are often accused of supporting the Tehran regime, but they unequivocally reject this, emphasizing that their opposition to the war is not an endorsement of the Iranian government.
Political analyst Ori Goldberg described Israeli society as lacking a middle ground or capacity for conversation. He noted: “They brought an anti-war activist onto a news program, and she was treated like a flat-earther. It’s as if it’s inconceivable that anyone would oppose this war.” This situation underscores the marginalization of anti-war voices in Israel amid rising fervor for conflict, with activists facing significant risks and repression.
Source: www.aljazeera.com