I'm a Jewish Israeli, AMA

[israelilefty]

Jewish Israeli here. I grew up in a different country but have lived and worked most of my adult life here, living a fairly normal everyday life in northern Israel. When I'm not working, I enjoy cooking and hiking, I'm religiously observant (but also feminist), I'm on the left of the political spectrum, and have everyday contact with people from quite a range of different perspectives - Israeli society is incredibly diverse.

I guess I see us portrayed in a kind of monolithic way in the English-language media, so I'm taking a deep breath and posting here...

Feel free to AMA, just remember you're asking a real person, not a government or military spokesman :) I'll try to answer from my personal standpoint. as long as it's asked in good faith.

@israelilefty thank you for your answer and honesty, I really appreciate it.
Also sorry if my previous post sounded bitter. It was not aimed at you. The truth is for so long I have tried to have the look at the glass half attitude, but for reasons i don't want to disclose on here i'm just really struggling right now. Too much has been lost and things seem like they are beyond repair now.
I'm sure there's people on both sides who feel this way. Also just to add you are a better person than myself, for continuing to strive for peace despite the ordeals you have faced.

Thank you @israelilefty. I think you have added more than you can know to people’s understanding and willingness to listen a bit more carefully in all directions in these Conflict in the Middle East threads, and you are certainly brave too. 🕊️💐

@israelilefty also I'm not sure if you are part of standing together but I watched footage of today's Jerusalem march and I could see some of the volunteers in purple who were trying to de-escalate the violent clashes.
Some of them looked very out numbered and isolated and in quite a dangerous situation themselves. I hope none of the volunteers were hurt.

I saw on standing together's page that some of the volunteers had their ID's taken away, forcefully removed from the area and some even arrested, despite them only being there for peaceful purposes.
However, they don't say under what law or the reason given for this treatment.
Are they legally allowed to be removed like this even if they aren't breaking any laws?

First of all, thank you all for your positive comments (and to those who add thanks to posts). It has been very meaningful for me to have conversations here and feel that people are interested.

@Parkingt111 sorry for taking so long to respond - it's been a busy week and I wanted to write something more than just a sentence. First of all, Standing Together - I'm a supporter but wasn't able to volunteer for the march or the humanitarian guard as I work full time. I don't know what it's legal for the police to do, but we often see the police overstepping the mark in policing demonstrations critical of the right/the government, which isn't much surprise given who the police minister is (Ben Gvir).

Now onto the struggle and feeling that things are beyond repair. I know that feeling well. However, I thought about your post this week and wanted to share a moment from this week: I was in the car with my preschooler, listening to a "learn German" recording ahead of an upcoming trip, and he was excitedly repeating various words and phrases out loud. It's incredible to think that the Holocaust is still within living memory, but as Jewish Israelis we can travel to Germany safely and indeed have friends and work colleagues there.

It's hard to look beyond the immediate present when unimaginable tragedy is unfolding every day, when the war seems simply to roll on, unable to reach a ceasefire, and when every moment is relentlessly broadcast on social media - and when the rise of the Israeli right is echoed by the rise of the European right.

But wars do end. Things do get better.

The current stalemate since Oslo fell apart has lasted too long; Netanyahu has been in power too long, and Hamas has been in charge of Gaza for too long. If anything good will come out of this terrible conflict, it will be because the cards have finally been shaken up. This won't happen immediately, but changes ARE happening. I am hearing more and more voices from a moderate, pragmatic Israeli and Palestinian left, seeking to end the conflict not through idealistic peacenik slogans but through absolutely rejecting extremist nationalist and leftist slogans and replacing them with in-depth geopolitical knowledge and pragmatic ways to look for a better future for Israelis AND Palestinians. Look at Standing Together, the Unapologetic podcast, Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, Nas Daily, the Bereaved Families Forum, and many more. This goes together with a huge pro-democracy mobilization in Israeli civil society, and the increasing socioeconomic and political integration of Palestinian Israelis into Israeli society - just yesterday a politician from the Ra'am party pointed out that the anti-Netanyahu block would need Arab parties to make a coalition according to the latest poll. Who could have imagined before Bennet's government that an Israeli coalition could include everyone from the pragmatic right to an Islamist party?

In short. Change will come - and when it does, many people are waiting to make it happen. It may not be as fast as we like, but it will happen. In the meantime, I just hope we can all dedicate even a tenth of the energy to peacebuilding that we manage to expend in entrenching divisions on social media.

Thank you, it is very heartening to hear what you say especially here,
Look at Standing Together, the Unapologetic podcast, Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, Nas Daily, the Bereaved Families Forum, and many more. This goes together with a huge pro-democracy mobilization in Israeli civil society, and the increasing socioeconomic and political integration of Palestinian Israelis into Israeli society - just yesterday a politician from the Ra'am party pointed out that the anti-Netanyahu block would need Arab parties to make a coalition according to the latest poll. Who could have imagined before Bennet's government that an Israeli coalition could include everyone from the pragmatic right to an Islamist party?

@israelilefty thank you for your heartfelt message and words of encouragement, it is really appreciated by myself. I have poorly little ones so not a chance to write a befitting reply to your post but just wanted to say thank you.

We are currently in the month of hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) when muslims around the world remember the sacrifices made by the prophet Ibraheem (Abraham) peace be upon him and his family. His devotion to God and his perseverance despite being shunned by society at large. He didn't give up and through this,the word of God spread and flourished.
It's amazing how much we share as Muslims and Jews, including the same forefather. Your words have given me a little hope for better days to come 💕

@Parkingt111 عيد اضحى مبارك. May it be a peaceful holiday both in Israel/Palestine and wherever you are.

Ameen thank you! ❤️

@israelilefty someone on my thread in JewishMumsnetters suggested you might be able to help answer this question for me:

I am a senior leader at work and a member of our multicultural network. I've been asked to support a sponsored climb that two members of the network are undertaking to raise funds for humanitarian aid in Palestine The funds would go to a charity called 'Muslim Charity'.

I would prefer to offer a donation to a charity that supports both sides of the conflict or one that promotes peace through mutual understanding.

Do you know of a suitable charity I could donate to?

@HRTea
I think OP is observant and will therefore be unlikely to respond until after sundown on Saturday when Shabbat ends.
Off the top of my head organisations that might be worth looking at are Women in Black or Standing Together both of which promote peace and cooperation.

Thank you. Someone else has just mentioned Standing Together which looks perfect.

Is there a reason why you don’t want to donate to Palestinians?

Is this just for you personally, or are you demanding how other people also have donate?

Not that I need to justify myself to you but no, I have no interest in telling other people how or where to donate but a) I'm invested in a long term solution and b) I wouldn't expect a Muslim to donate to something called "Jewish Charity" and as a Jewish person I reserve the right to do the same.

And by the way I WOULD be 'donating to Palestinians' with my suggestion

@HRTea Thanks for your message. Really sorry I missed it - I try to check this thread regularly, but it seems that new messages arrive exactly when I stop checking.

There aren't many charities that work both in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza. Combatants for Peace and the Bereaved Families Forum are two very important organizations working on peace building and dialogue with Israelis and Palestinians who have directly been affected by the conflict, whether as combatants or as bereaved family members.

https://cfpeace.org

https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/homepage-en/

Standing Together is fantastic, but it is a civil society organization within Israel promoting equality between Palestinian and Jewish citizens of Israel, not a binational organisation.

There are also non-religiously affiliated aid organizations helping Palestinians in Gaza.

If anyone is needing an uplift today, check out the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, a mixed chorus of Palestinian and Israeli teenagers, on America's Got Talent.

❤Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you, that’s lovely.

Just wanted to say Thank You for the UnHoly podcast recommendation. I'm listening to it every week now. Its really good!

Hello @israelilefty how are you?
Hope you are keeping well. I wanted to ask if you know if there is still a strong push for a ceasefire in Israel or has it slowed down now?
Today I saw one of the most horrific things in my life. I saw people burning alive after being bombed in their tents whilst they were taking refuge in the courtyard of a hospital in Gaza. I heard the screams of people burning to death and the screams of those surrounding them who could do nothing to save them.
The first thing I did was try and see if there was any progress on ceasefire talks as that is the only way I can see this ending and hostages being released. I don't live in Israel or in Gaza, yet my mental health has been greatly affected so I can't imagine how it must be for the people living in a war zone like yourself.
Is there any hope for this war coming to an end or does it not seem likely right now in your opinion and from what you know on the ground?

I’m so sorry @Parkingt111
Im praying for peace. But I can’t bear to think about the pain of those who are suffering on both sides. It’s such a terrible indictment of the leadership on both sides .

Hi @Parkingt111, I'm sorry I only just got back to this thread and saw your message. Obviously things have changed significantly since you wrote, after the death of Sinwar. Calls for a ceasefire/hostage deal had remained a constant in Israel with very frequent protests in Tel Aviv, but these have redoubled now with the seeming opportunity offered by Sinwar's demise,

I really don't have an informed opinion about whether the war will end now or in the near future. Ending a war is not as simple as just declaring a stop: someone needs to negotiate the return of the hostages, transition of power etc, and I think a fear at the moment is that there is nobody to negotiate with. I fervently hope that a pragmatic negotiation partner will emerge.

Regarding mental health: brutal violence has always been part of warfare but now it is plastered on social media and we sometimes see it even if we didn't intend it, which I think is a devastating situation. I personally avoid as much as possible any graphic footage, because seeing it is difficult to forget, and it erodes at the human soul. And still, even reading words rather than looking at graphic pictures, some events of the war have definitely affected my mental health.

I can only speak for myself, but I see it as important to safeguard my mental health so that I can be ready to support others, and so that I can be as good a parent as possible to help to raise a healthy young generation who won't carry the burden of the war with them. It can be incredibly difficult to see what's going on and feel powerless to stop it, but I think that it's always best to try to avoid the most graphic images and try instead to pour our energy on doing whatever we can that might help in the long run.

@israelilefty thank you for your answer and words of wisdom.
Can I please ask what the reaction is like in Israel in regards to ministers from Netanyahu's party attending the conference today to re-settle Gaza?

The siege in the north coupled with the intense bombardment and horrific loss of life is devestating. I have seen many Palestinian accounts sharing that the last few weeks in the north have been the worst since the start of the war. I even saw the account of one Palestinian who said it would be more merciful to just kill them all than the prolonged torture they are experiencing now.

In contrast, the joyful conference held which is even teaching the attendees on how to build illegal outposts and the best way to build settlements in Gaza is upsetting to say the least.

I can't understand how such a conference was even allowed to take place. Are the people in Israel not aware of the catastrophe in the north of Gaza? The news in the UK has been showing almost daily updates of what is happening there and it has been quite distressing watching massacre after massacre with no end in sight.

The conference received little attention from the Israeli media because it was pretty insignificant ("tens" of attendees rather than even hundreds) and because most Israelis think the idea of resettling Gaza is totally absurd and in no way something that should be pursued. The problem is that Netanyahu's government is propped up by the far right (Ben Gvir and Smotrich) who promote these ideas, and his own Likud party has started embracing far right voices that were not historically part of the party. He is afraid to denounce their craziness because it would potentially mean the end of the coalition. But the conference is way outside the mainstream consensus. I just hope that the far right does not find a way for this to happen.