West Jerusalem – “I do not believe in this war and I do not believe that the objectives of this war can be achieved,” said Avital Suisa, 39 years old.
“This war is meaningless.”
That blunt position is not typical of the Israelis, but neither is Switzerland.
She is a West Jerusalem activist and firmly believes in the two-state solution, even as Israeli society moves away from that position and one-state apartheid rule becomes more entrenched on the ground.
Suisa also travels regularly to the occupied West Bank, where he tries to discourage and even defend settlers from attacking vulnerable Palestinian Bedouins.
But while Suisa sits firmly on the left of Israeli politics and is in the minority when it comes to her activism, calls for a ceasefire in Israel are increasing, for several different reasons.
Some believe that a ceasefire is the best way to save Israeli captives taken by Hamas, while others add that killing innocent people in Gaza endangers Israel's long-term security. Some only want a temporary pause, while others – like Suisa – want a permanent end to the fighting.
Since the October 7 attack on Israel by the Qassam Brigades of Hamas and other Palestinian armed factions – in which 1,139 people were killed and nearly 250 taken captive – Israel has killed more than 30,600 people in Gaza, starving to the civilian population and destroying more than 70 percent of the population. the enclave.
Israel's stated goal has been to “eradicate Hamas,” but its scorched earth tactics have deliberately and disproportionately killed civilians, including thousands of women and children.
The atrocities have sparked outrage around the world and prompted US and European officials to begin pushing for a ceasefire, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, who called for a six-week pause in fighting on March 4.
But for Suisa, those calls for a temporary pause are not enough.
“Of course, the fact that almost 1,200 people died on October 7 – some brutally – is terrible. But that doesn't justify killing. [more than] 30,000 people in Gaza – many children and women – who did nothing to me,” Suisa told Al Jazeera.
Captive exchange
On Sunday, families of Israeli captives held by Hamas marched from southern Israel to central west Jerusalem, where they called for the immediate release of their loved ones. Many in the crowd told Al Jazeera they supported a ceasefire that would bring their loved ones home.
“I understand that it is not possible to bring back all the hostages. [through military means]. The rational way is to get them all back through a deal,” said Shay Bickmann, a 28-year-old Israeli medical student whose aunt was killed on Oct. 7 and whose cousin was taken captive.
He did not clarify whether he supported a temporary or total ceasefire, but said he defers to the judgment of the Israeli government and realizes that it is “problematic to reach an agreement with a terrorist organization.”
Israel, the United States and the European Union consider Hamas a “terrorist” organization, but many Palestinians see the group as a legitimate resistance organization.
Despite his opinion on reaching an agreement with Hamas, Bickmann added that he does not want revenge, but rather to live in peace with his neighbors.
A temporary truce negotiated in November led to the release of 110 Israeli captives in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Another captive exchange could give hope to countless Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, whose loved ones have been illegally arrested or disappeared by the Israeli military.
According to Addameer, who monitors Palestinian detainees, Israel holds around 9,070 Palestinian political prisoners, a sharp increase from the 5,200 detained before October 7.
Many Palestinians – including children – were arrested and are being held in administrative detention without charge for expressing sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza or for waving a Palestinian flag.
The number of detainees does not include the many Palestinians held, interrogated and tortured in Israeli bases and makeshift detentions in Gaza, Addameer told Al Jazeera.
Israel's retaliatory violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza has forced some Israelis to call for a permanent ceasefire.
“I think we need to achieve a ceasefire to start promoting a better place and region. [for Palestinians and Israelis]. That would be a start,” said Naima, an Israeli who did not reveal her last name due to the polarizing political climate in Israel.
A return to normal
Many Israelis also told Al Jazeera that they long for life to return to normal, although the effects on daily life in Israel have been marginal compared to the destruction of Gaza that has disrupted the lives of 2.3 million Palestinians.
However, Israel's economy has been affected by Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. Its construction sector has been hit hard, and both domestic and foreign tourism, which struggled to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic, has stalled since October 7.
Plia Kettner, 39, said most of the service industry, including her restaurant that caters to tourists, has taken a financial hit.
“I hope we can recover once the war is over and the tourists return,” he told Al Jazeera.
Despite the financial problems, Kettner added, he believes about half the population would prefer to continue an indefinite war in Gaza until Hamas is eradicated, while the other half believes negotiating a ceasefire to ensure the release of captives Israelis is the top priority.
However, experts and commentators have long maintained that Hamas cannot be defeated in any demonstrable sense and that an all-out war against Gaza will not bolster Israel's security.
Suisa said that in his opinion, Israel's war on Gaza is generating so much suffering that it will perpetuate another “cycle of violence.”
“I think many people in Gaza grew up in such terrible conditions and that led them to become the [fighters] they converted,” he said.
Suisa was referring to Israel's 18-year blockade of Gaza that transformed the enclave into an “open-air prison,” stripped generations of graduates of hope for a future and caused the extreme poverty Gaza has been struggling with for years. , according to rights. groups.
“I don't think so [some Israelis] who say that the Palestinians only want to kill us. “I would like to see Israel commit to a peace process that gives hope to everyone,” Suisa said.
“I want to break the cycle.”
