The front-page picture of “Israelis Protesting at Border Crossing” in the February 8, 2024 issue, and the accompanying article praising the protest, gives the impression that this attempt to prevent the Israeli army from sending humanitarian aid to Gaza is correct. The clear danger to the sick, the children and the elderly is justified in the context of the war, and the position of the Israeli government is forcefully opposed.
These protests are based on assumptions that are at best not proven. It isn’t clear that preventing humanitarian aid will end the war with a total Israeli victory. Negotiations have led to the freeing of 120 hostages; military action has freed one, while mistakenly and tragically resulting in the death of more. Israel’s conduct in fighting this war will affect military and political support by the American government. The simplistic notion that everybody is antisemitic and Israeli actions irrelevant is a terrible basis for a foreign policy.
The article describes this group as non-political; in actuality the majority of its members are right-wing religious
Zionists and a minority are relatives of hostages and of soldiers who were killed. The ruling by right-wing rabbis that it is permissible to violate the Sabbath to try to prevent the Israeli army from delivering the aid (food and medicine) is indicative of the extremist elements behind the protestors. Israel has the most right-wing government in its history and yet its decisions are not respected.
There are serious issues at stake and minimally they should be openly debated.
