(MintPress)-The anti-war movement is picking up steam in Israel, as demonstrated through recent protests in Tel Aviv and a viral people-to-people peace movement, leaving the world wondering who actually supports Netanyahu’s push for a military strike against Iran?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent the past few months solidifying support from Israelis as well as the international community for a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Netanyahu has insisted that Israel must not “sit idly” and wait for others to protect Israel from a “second Holocaust” if Iran acquires a nuclear weapon.
However, a recent poll conducted by Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland and the Dahaf Institute of Israel shows that the Israeli people are undecided on whether Netanyahu’s proposal to strike Iran is the best plan for Israel.
Only 19% of Israelis surveyed in February 2012 believe that Israel should attack Iran even without support from the United States. 42% said Israel should attack Iran only if supported at least by the U.S., and 34% said Israel should not strike Iran at all.
Israelis were split 44% to 45% respectively on whether striking Iran’s nuclear facilities would strengthen or weaken the Iranian government.
Although slightly more Israelis support a joint attack on Iran, there was no clear consensus among those surveyed on what sort of impact such a strike would have on Iran’s nuclear program. A strike on Iran would not stop Iran from ever developing nuclear capabilities, but it may potentially delay the process. 22% of Israelis believe a strike would delay Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by 3-5 years or by more than 5 years, while 9% believe it would delay Iran’s capabilities by just a few years.
19% of those surveyed believe that striking Iran will have no effect whatsoever on its nuclear program, and 11% believe a strike would actually accelerate Iran’s nuclear program.
“We love Iranians” and other Opposition Movements
In opposition to the pro-war rhetoric being spread by politicians, one Israeli couple started a viral campaign to spread peace. Husband-wife team Ronny Edry and Michal Tamir started a Facebook page to promote people-to-people positive relations between Israelis and Iranians.
“If you see someone on your TV talking about bombing you…be sure he does not represent all of us,” said Edry in a video to the Iranian people. Edry’s campaign features photos uploaded by Israelis featuring the slogan, “Iranians, we will never bomb your country, we [heart] you.”
The Israel Loves Iran campaign has gained widespread popularity and received numerous responses from Iranians, with the slogan, “My Israeli friends, I don’t hate you; I don’t want war. Love, Peace.” The campaign reportedly received 20,000 e-mails from Iranians in the first few days after the website launched.
In a separate event, fueled by a similar desire to prevent a war with Iran, hundreds of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest against a possible Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Nearly a thousand Israelis are believed to have gathered in Habima Square with signs directed towards the Prime Minister, calling, “Bibi, don’t bomb Iran,” and others pointing out the close ties between AIPAC and Netanyahu: “Bibi & AIPAC Sitting in a Tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
In another display of frustration with the direction of Israeli politics, leaders of the J14 movement (named for the July 14 start date of the Israeli equivalent of Occupy Wall Street) will begin a speaking tour in the U.S. this week to discuss “The Birth of a New Social Justice Movement in Israel – the Social Movement.”
Stav Shaffir, journalist and J14 leader, told JWeekly that “People are starting to understand we’re going in directions we’re not happy with, and it’s time to do something about it.” Shaffir is not focused specifically on solving issues with Iran or the Palestinians, but instead hopes to ignite a dialogue on issues affecting Israeli society.
Shaffir says, “People vote like tomorrow there’s a war and they choose the best general. While doing that, we get a government that abandons all responsibilities. Society isn’t better when you build a better airplane, but when you [offer] a better education.”
Barak and Netanyahu: an unstoppable duo?
Despite clear doubts in the minds of many Israelis about the direction the country is taking towards a possible strike on Iran, Netanyahu maintains an approval rating near 50% and is able to push forward in his Iran rhetoric primarily with the help of Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
“All leaders have kitchen cabinets, but Netanyahu and Barak have established a kitchenette of two,” said Nahum Barnea, a columnist for the Yediot Aharonot newspaper, in an interview with the New York Times. “They haven’t discussed Iran with the rest of the government in weeks and have convinced themselves there is only one way to deal with Iran — their way.”
Although both are from different political parties, Netanyahu from the right-wing Likud Party and Barak traditionally part of the left-wing Labor Party, the two have developed a relationship of mutual dependence. Barak relies on Netanyahu to stay afloat in the political scene after splitting from the Labor Party in 2011. Netanyahu on the other hand utilizes Barak’s extensive military experience to win support for his policies.
Netanyahu served under the command of Barak as part of Sayeret Matkal, an Israeli secret forces regiment, in the 1970s. Through their service, the two developed a relationship of mutual respect, which “crystallizes for many Israelis the view that Netanyahu and Barak still today operate as a covert team, crafting strategy with a maverick intimacy born behind enemy lines…that eclipses their markedly divergent personalities and politics,” as reported by Reuters.
Yet, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert believes the Netanyahu-Barak kitchenette may be on its way out in the next elections. Olmert spoke on Tuesday following the election of MK Shaul Mofaz as the newest leader of the centrist and liberal Kadima party, beating out former chairperson Tzipi Livni.
«The Israeli public opinion hasn’t shifted to the right – the government shifted to the right,» Olmert told reporters. The former Prime Minister told Haaretz that there was “a very good chance that in the next elections, there will be enough of a bloc to prevent Bibi [Netanyahu] from forming the new government.”
“Three years of Netanyahu have diverted us from doing the right thing, but together we will return Israel to the right path,” Iranian-born Shaul Mofaz said in his victory speech. “Our country deserves a new social agenda, a different government system, equality of civic duties and more serious attempts to achieve peace in our region.”
Although Kadima leads the opposition in the Knesset, popularity for the party has been on the decline. Opposition members hope that Mofaz’s overwhelming victory on Tuesday will create the momentum Kadima needs to rejuvenate its supporters. Yet, given his extensive military credentials, it still remains unclear whether Mofaz will be able to bring the type of peaceful change that many protesters are demanding.
Source: MintPress