As domestic resistance to the Gaza war rises, Netanyahu’s government responds with repression and fear — exposing deep fractures in Israeli society and the future of its democracy.
While the world watches the horrors unfolding in Gaza – and as usual does nothing, inside Israel something profound is happening: growing opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu’s endless war.
In the first days after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Israelis rallied behind the government, flooding military bases, volunteering for reserve duty, and demanding retaliation.
But now, more than a year into Israel’s brutal offensive — with tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and no clear end in sight — a surge of dissent is shaking Israeli society.
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Thousands of reservists, many from elite units, have begun refusing service, arguing that Netanyahu’s government is prolonging the war for political survival, not national security.
Families of the hostages, once among the government’s most vocal backers, now accuse Netanyahu of abandoning their loved ones for the sake of appeasing the ultra-nationalist factions that prop up his fragile coalition.
Mass protests have returned to Israel’s streets, echoing the anti-judicial overhaul demonstrations that rocked the country before October 7.
But now the stakes are even higher: it’s not just about democracy, but about war, occupation, and the future of Israel itself.
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Netanyahu’s response: crackdowns and ultra-nationalist rhetoric
Instead of engaging with dissent, Netanyahu’s government has doubled down.
His extremist coalition partners, such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, openly push for total destruction of Gaza, “relocation” (a euphemism for expulsion) of Palestinians, and even new Jewish settlements in the Strip.
Meanwhile, domestic protestors are smeared as traitors or Hamas sympathizers.
The government has used emergency wartime powers to restrict protests, surveil dissidents, and silence media voices critical of the war.
These authoritarian moves, critics warn, expose a deeper truth: Netanyahu’s Israel is no longer the “only democracy in the Middle East” — if it ever truly was.
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Has it always been like this?
The seeds of today’s crisis lie deep in Israel’s history.
Since its founding, Israel has defined itself through existential conflict, an embattled identity that has often pushed democracy aside in the name of security.
Critics, including many Israeli scholars, point to decades of occupation, systemic discrimination against Palestinians, and political moves that hollowed out civil rights — especially for non-Jews.
What’s different now is that this rot has come home.
Netanyahu, once celebrated as “Mr. Security,” has increasingly turned his authoritarian instincts against Israelis themselves — undermining courts, attacking independent media, and turning dissent into treason.
The Gaza war has become not just a military catastrophe but a mirror, reflecting the kind of state Israel has become: hyper-militarized, increasingly authoritarian, and fractured along political, religious, and ethnic lines.
Help fund great articles! We’re aiming for £50 to cover research and reporting time this week.
Can you chip in £3 today?
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The road ahead
The growing anti-war movement inside Israel offers a glimmer of hope.
It shows that even in times of fear and war, many Israelis still demand accountability, justice, and peace.
But without real political change, their voices risk being crushed under the weight of Netanyahu’s war machine and the far-right forces propping it up.
What happens next will not only decide the fate of Gaza — it will decide the fate of Israeli democracy itself.
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Cracks inside: how Israeli opposition to Netanyahu’s Gaza war Is growing
As domestic resistance to the Gaza war rises, Netanyahu’s government responds with repression and fear — exposing deep fractures in Israeli society and the future of its democracy.
While the world watches the horrors unfolding in Gaza – and as usual does nothing, inside Israel something profound is happening: growing opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu’s endless war.
In the first days after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Israelis rallied behind the government, flooding military bases, volunteering for reserve duty, and demanding retaliation.
But now, more than a year into Israel’s brutal offensive — with tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and no clear end in sight — a surge of dissent is shaking Israeli society.
Help fund great articles! We’re aiming for £50 to cover research and reporting time this week.
Can you chip in £3 today?
👉 https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
Thousands of reservists, many from elite units, have begun refusing service, arguing that Netanyahu’s government is prolonging the war for political survival, not national security.
Families of the hostages, once among the government’s most vocal backers, now accuse Netanyahu of abandoning their loved ones for the sake of appeasing the ultra-nationalist factions that prop up his fragile coalition.
Mass protests have returned to Israel’s streets, echoing the anti-judicial overhaul demonstrations that rocked the country before October 7.
But now the stakes are even higher: it’s not just about democracy, but about war, occupation, and the future of Israel itself.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Netanyahu’s response: crackdowns and ultra-nationalist rhetoric
Instead of engaging with dissent, Netanyahu’s government has doubled down.
His extremist coalition partners, such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, openly push for total destruction of Gaza, “relocation” (a euphemism for expulsion) of Palestinians, and even new Jewish settlements in the Strip.
Meanwhile, domestic protestors are smeared as traitors or Hamas sympathizers.
The government has used emergency wartime powers to restrict protests, surveil dissidents, and silence media voices critical of the war.
These authoritarian moves, critics warn, expose a deeper truth: Netanyahu’s Israel is no longer the “only democracy in the Middle East” — if it ever truly was.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
Has it always been like this?
The seeds of today’s crisis lie deep in Israel’s history.
Since its founding, Israel has defined itself through existential conflict, an embattled identity that has often pushed democracy aside in the name of security.
Critics, including many Israeli scholars, point to decades of occupation, systemic discrimination against Palestinians, and political moves that hollowed out civil rights — especially for non-Jews.
What’s different now is that this rot has come home.
Netanyahu, once celebrated as “Mr. Security,” has increasingly turned his authoritarian instincts against Israelis themselves — undermining courts, attacking independent media, and turning dissent into treason.
The Gaza war has become not just a military catastrophe but a mirror, reflecting the kind of state Israel has become: hyper-militarized, increasingly authoritarian, and fractured along political, religious, and ethnic lines.
Help fund great articles! We’re aiming for £50 to cover research and reporting time this week.
Can you chip in £3 today?
👉 https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
The road ahead
The growing anti-war movement inside Israel offers a glimmer of hope.
It shows that even in times of fear and war, many Israelis still demand accountability, justice, and peace.
But without real political change, their voices risk being crushed under the weight of Netanyahu’s war machine and the far-right forces propping it up.
What happens next will not only decide the fate of Gaza — it will decide the fate of Israeli democracy itself.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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