Thursday morning, having coffee at a bakery in Pisgat Ze’ev, Jerusalem. The staff – two young men, one Arab and one Jewish; the Jew at the register, the Arab making the coffee. Routine.
Outside, the Besheva newspaper is being handed out for free.
"To Conquer and Rule," screams the headline. "The current maneuver must lead to the defeat of Hamas," "Permanent control of the area after its conquest." Another headline reads: "Religious Zionism stands with the hostages." Apparently, the editors see no contradiction between these messages.
“To Conquer and Rule.”
For those asking – what is your interest in Pisgat Ze’ev – that was the departure point for a tour of the southern Jordan Valley. In the Valley, we've long been conquering and ruling. Not enough, evidently – there are still a few Palestinian communities clinging to the land.
"Where do you see yourself in 20 years?" the tour participants asked Aaliya, the local heroine of the Ma`arajat community. "My home is here”. Sumud.
The cheerleading squad of religious Zionism urges the army into Gaza – forever – to conquer in order to rule. To build settlements. "Conquest" is back in fashion. Whatever happened to "a people does not conquer its own land"? In the meantime, they're completing the mission in the West Bank, and their representatives in the Knesset make it clear that they don't care about dead, sick, or starving children. God, Bless him, will always love us – more and more.
And what about the army? It marches ahead cheerfully; Its pilots kill non involved civilians, again and again. Questions and doubts are for the weak. Reservists grit their teeth but enlist – some will shoot and dance in drag, others will shoot and cry. If not over the consequences of their actions, then over the destruction of their own families and livelihoods, the threat to their physical and mental health, the loss of vacation destinations around the world. A tiny minority will refuse. Worry about "what the unit will think of me" and "what will people say" outweighs concern for conscience, family, livelihood, life – everything. Brotherhood of fighters is the ultimate value. Social fear trumps morality.
The army is the settlers’ pawn – in Gaza and in the West Bank. It deceives itself into thinking it can “defeat” Hamas without clarifying what that means. Hamas was militarily defeated long ago; it can only wage guerrilla war, and that cannot be prevented militarily. To truly defeat it would require a political plan – but that won’t happen, because the government isn’t interested. A political plan has been on the table for over a year – initially from Biden, now from Egypt. It necessarily includes the Palestinian Authority, and maybe even signals a division of the land into two states. A political plan would bring down the government – so there won’t be one. Because the aim is to conquer and rule. To rule not just the Palestinians – also us.
The army lies in tactical situations (“we didn’t shoot at medical teams”) and about the war’s objectives. It knows Hamas won’t be defeated in the way Smotrich imagines. It knows the hostages will die. It strongly opposes Israel taking responsibility for civilian life in Gaza. And still, it falls in line. And those who don’t – are dismissed.
"What do you propose?" one of the tour participants asked me. "What can bring change?" I answered: if 5,000 people, not 200, were doing what we’re doing in the West Bank – standing up to the settlers and resisting them – things would look different. Then it would be clear there's a fierce struggle, not just a dominant group pushing “conquer and rule” while others remain helpless. If thousands stood beside Aaliya and others like her among the Palestinians and waged a determined, nonviolent struggle opposing violence – there’d be a chance for change.
Same in other arenas – struggle against messianics not just in weekly Kaplan protests, but on the ground, where facts are created. If 10,000 (not 300) stood up to Daniella Weiss and her associates in the periphery. If thousands (not a handful) refused to participate in this war of choice, or refused specific actions marked by a black flag (starting with the pilots). If thousands of teachers went on strike because the curriculum is false (not just over a mere 500-Shekel raise, not to diminish that), or insisted on teaching what’s really happening.
There are things to be done, and we’re not doing them – because most of us are cowards and prefer to lie to ourselves. That’s why things will keep getting worse. Even worse, and worse still.
