Published 16/04/2025 13:31
Israel faces a growing movement of internal opposition to the continuity of war in Gaza. Reservists and elite veterans, including former intelligence chiefs and special units, denounce the political use of the conflict and require a negotiated way out with Hamas. The Netanyahu government reaction deepens the internal crack and exposes the crisis of legitimacy of the military offensive.
An open letter published on April 11 and signed by 970 active reservists and Israeli Air Force veterans had a strong national repercussion by denouncing the prolongation of war as a decision guided by personal interests rather than security objectives.
“Continuing the war is not good for any of its declared goals,” the signatories said in the letter. “The holiness of life is more sacred than the god of revenge,” they wrote.
The initiative triggered a mobilization on several fronts of the military and security apparatus. Similar letters were released by 150 Navy officers, 1,525 armored body members, 250 members of the 8200 Cyber Intelligence Unit, over 1,500 veterans from Special Forces and Infantry, and about 500 representatives of the Israeli high -tech sector.
About 250 Mossad veterans also subscribed to the protest, including three former directors, and 100 former students from the National Security College.
All statements converge on the appeal by the end of the war, the return of hostages, and the opening of negotiations that place the lives of civilians above the political calculations of Netanyahu and their coalition.
Government reaction: repression and political attack
The government’s response was immediate. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu classified the signatories as an “anarchist group, noisy and disconnected from retirees” and said the mobilization is funded by foreign organizations to overthrow the right government.
Defense Minister Israel Katz and Air Force Commander Tomer Bar ordered the resignation of the active reservists who signed the letter. At least 25 retreated and removed their signatures after meetings with the Military High Command. According to the commanders, the letters shake the cohesion of the units and compromise the efficiency of the military operation.
Repression did not contain the movement, however. Support letters continued to circulate and expand the cry at the end of the fighting. SHIN BET, an internal security service, issued a note signed by hundreds of veterans, with explicit support to military letters and demanding an inquiry committee on October 7 events.
“Bringing all hostages back is a supreme ethical commandment, even at the cost of temporarily interrupting the fighting,” they said.
The social and political crack in Israel
The crisis of legitimacy is also reflected in the streets. Manifestations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem bring together relatives of hostages, reservists and militants for peace, who require an immediate ceasefire. The demonstrations incorporated the card agenda: return of hostages, investigation of the errors of 7 October and end of war.
The exemption granted to ultra -portodox communities – which do not comply with military service – is also the target of increasing revolt between reserve soldiers and family members. The letters accuse the government of allowing an unequal war, where only part of the population is called to sacrifice.
War answered inside
Military dissent, pressure from civil society and divisions within security apparatus indicates that war in Gaza no longer has the institutional consensus that sustained the early stages of the offensive.
The insistence of the Netanyahu government to maintain the hard line, without presenting realistic alternatives for the return of hostages, expands Israel’s internal and international isolation. The continuity of war, far from ensuring security, exposes a country in break with its own armed forces.
Source: vermelho.org.br
