It's Time to Take a Stand Against Eternal War, It's Time to Refuse to Serve - Opinion - Haaretz.com
In order not to resume the useless war in the Gaza Strip, it's important to repeat: There has not been, and will not be, a total victory over Hamas. It is an inane slogan; any and all policies stemming from that slogan will only make our situation worse.
Therefore, we should support the growing number of soldiers who have chosen to refuse and to join protests calling for an end to the war.
It makes no difference how much death and destruction we continue to wreak on the Gaza Strip; Israel will lose. Preventing the signing of an agreement to release the remaining hostages in exchange for a cease-fire and the release of Palestinian prisoners will cause a serious societal crisis.
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After the great sigh of relief that has come with the current round of releases, the hostages' families and much of the public will demand that the government take further steps to bring an end to this inhuman situation.
If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responds to the messianic whims of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir to return to fighting, while abandoning the hostages still in captivity, it will lead to war and unprecedented division within Israeli society. Hamas will thus be able to drag out the consequences of October 7 on Israel for years to come. From its perspective, this alone will constitute a strategic success.
On the other hand, it must be acknowledged that signing an agreement will also be seen as an achievement for Hamas by showing it remains as relevant as ever. The organization exploits the release of each new group of hostages as a show of force, however outrageous. It uses each release to prove that it has not collapsed, and that there is no one else in power in Gaza. This is an Israeli failure in its own right.
At the same time, it is important to understand the military significance of signing the current cease-fire. It can be assumed that Hamas is trying to exploit the quiet in Gaza to regroup, rearm and even recruit young men as fighters. After the horrors that Israel committed against the civilian population, its job is not going to be terribly complicated.
Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard before they release hostages in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday.Credit: Ramadan Abed/ REUTERS
If Israel opts to resume the war, it will be doing so at a point very close to where it began. Israeli society will have to sacrifice many hundreds of soldiers and overlook thousands of wounded to "defeat" Hamas. We have seen this film before. Once it was Lebanon and in the past year it has been Gaza. We can already know how it will end.
Note that the tensions entailed in resuming the war in Gaza will come at the same time that the Israeli government is seeking ways to exempt thousands of young Haredim from military service. One hand of the government sends off people to kill and be killed while another signs off on a deal to ensure the coalition's survival.
As someone who holds the view that there is no military solution to violence that stems from military rule of one nation over another, recruiting more young men, in my opinion, is just more of the same thing. It's the mistaken belief that what didn't work by force will work by more force. However, there is no doubt that facing an endless war, many will come out against a government policy that relieves a significant portion of the public from the burden of battle.
The even worse news is that this government, which may last at least two more years, has no idea what it wants to do with the war. The prime minister has already told us that we are "one step away from victory" – a ridiculous and absurd statement. It's clear that armed Hamas forces will be in the area for a long time to come.
Meanwhile, Israel has no intention of proposing an alternative sovereign entity in Gaza, ignoring its obligations as an occupying power there. So what will actually happen in Gaza if we resume fighting, beyond horrific death and destruction?
The war in Gaza lacks any logic or reason. There has not been a military victory, nor will there be a military victory as long as Israel's diplomatic standing continues to deteriorate. The economy has already sustained major losses. There is nothing left for the government to do other than to pass the debt of its failure over to the Israeli taxpayer.
It's long overdue, but it's time to recognize the limits of military force and to take a clear stand. We should stop lamenting a government that has lost its way and an army that serves it like "the Messiah's donkey." Rather, we can and should stand with the IDF refusal movement, demanding a halt to the folly and recalculate a new route for Israel.
Tom Mehager served four weeks in a military prison for refusing to supervise a checkpoint east of Ramallah and during the war he formed the movement 'I Refused'