By Mickey Gitzin, NIF’s Director in Israel
Nearly nine months into the war here in Israel, the words “together, we will win” still appear on street signs, supermarket receipts and on the sides of buses. This so-called unity slogan, which warmed hearts in October and November now rings cold. It reminds me, more than anything, of the infamous “quiet, we’re shooting” line from the First Lebanon War: a mantra designed to silence any criticism of those leading this country over the cliff.
Unity is a wonderful feeling. I felt it when Israelis of all walks of life banded together to care for displaced and bereaved people after October 7. But invoking this sentiment to justify the war, as if that will bring us into a better future, is a lie. Yes, Israel faces external threats, but the thing we lack is not unity: it’s leadership.
When the government came up with the slogan “together we will win” — in Hebrew, יחד ננצח, they are trying to say — embrace us. We are one family. Just because we put the settlers first, we thirst for revenge, we seek more blood, destruction, messianism, and corruption does not mean you should abandon us. We are family! Come, together we will win!
And to this I say, No. We are not unified. Your values are not my values and I will not stand with you. Now is the time to be exceptionally clear: The settlement movement and so many of its political representatives, those from the most extreme and delusional fringes like Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, and others are a fundamentalist force that sanctifies expansionism and supremacy at the expense of human life.
They do not believe, as I do, that every individual should be granted the same rights. They do not believe, as I do, that Israel should be a liberal democracy. They would rather Israel function under the auspices of Jewish supremacy. And perhaps even more dangerous, they see themselves as representing some supreme truth as it relates to the destiny of this entire nation, a nation of which I am a part.
Their slogan — “together we will win” — implicitly makes the case that I’m in on their delusions. That I too am a part of the destiny that they seek for this nation. And again, to this I say: no!
These men (yes mostly men) are dragging the entire country off a cliff. Because of them, Israel’s military crisis is on its way to becoming a national, regional, and possibly international disaster. Because of them, so many innocent people, young and old, have died in Gaza, more children were left homeless and helpless, more settlers felt emboldened to evict Palestinians from their homes. It follows that the solution is not to embrace the people they embrace, or the concepts they promote, and certainly not to adopt with a shrug the slogans that they use.
High-ranking settler leaders see the victims of October 7 and the fallen soldiers in this war as part of a divine plan — their deaths are necessary hiccups that will bring us closer to the realization of glory. They have cultivated an education system that has gradually become more religious and extreme, against the backdrop of an apartheid reality in the West Bank. There is no point in detailing here all the disasters that their plans will bring upon Israel. They are unfolding before our eyes right now: Endless war, hundreds — if not thousands — more deaths, the death of the hostages, international isolation, famine and devastation in Gaza, and other fronts for war. Brigadier General Efi Eitam recently announced that the war will last at least three years. I wonder if all the parents of the soldiers serving now, all the reservists and all the families of the high school students who are about to be drafted understand what he means. What it means for them and their lives and their families’ lives.
The answer cannot be “together we will win.” In war there are no winners. The answer must be a democratic struggle against dangerous, anti-liberal forces. Forces that sit in positions of power and are currently leading this country. The good intentions of the center, which seeks to avoid discord, and so badly desires unity, will become the unwitting fuel that accelerates the process of Israel’s destruction.
Since October 8, Israel has faced existentially threatening times. The extreme right sees the war as an opportunity to achieve its goals. Those among us who seek democracy have nothing in common “together” with them; there is no “we will win first and then we’ll talk about our internal disagreements.” We, who believe that the future should be democratic, cannot continue to close our eyes to this danger.
Do not become addicted to the sedative of unity. Israeli society’s time is running out. This is the moment for controversy. This is the moment to fight. It is precisely what we’re doing, every day, at NIF. Because buying into “Together we win” means we all lose.