Three years after the attack on Israel: what remains?
On the third anniversary of the Hamas attack, Israel is commemorating the victims. On October 7, 2023, terrorists from the Gaza Strip invaded Israel, murdering 1,221 people and taking 251 hostage. Israel reacted with a war which has claimed at least 70,000 lives in the Palestinian territories. Commentators explore how that day changed the country and its people.
A deep rift dividing the country
The 7 October remains the all-defining issue in Israel to this day, notes Avvenire:
“October 7 – with its legacy of pain, bitterness, frustration and attempts at manipulation – is at the very top of the agenda across the political spectrum. But the two camps in Israel interpret it in opposite ways. For the pro-Netanyahu faction, it legitimises the conflict all the way to the 'total victory’ [promised by Netanyahu] against an endless list of enemies, from Hamas to Iran. Critics, on the other hand, have turned it into a symbol of failure from which the Jewish state must free itself. A debacle. … And above all, a rift in the bond of trust between citizens and institutions. This rift is being deepened by the suspicion, reaffirmed by the latest revelations, that Netanyahu had been informed of Hamas's plan.”
No willingness to learn from mistakes
The Frankfurter Rundschau deplores the continued lack of an official inquiry into the massacre in Israel:
“All attempts to form a national commission of inquiry are being blocked by the Netanyahu regime. The consequence of this lack of accountability is that the attack looks like the product of a natural phenomenon. Those who have always insisted that the world consists of good and evil cultures have their simplistic answer at the ready: Arabs shoot Jews because it is in their nature; Jews, on the other hand, shoot Arabs to protect themselves. This narrative is running rampant in the current Israeli government. But such a worldview leaves no space for the question of how one might learn from one's mistakes.”
Stubborn government, poisoned population
In El País, Israeli-Argentine human rights activist Meir Margalit describes the situation in Israel:
“Some citizens are still in deep mourning while others are blinded by a thirst for revenge. ... The government's stubborn refusal to set up a national commission of inquiry that could shed light on how we could have sunk so low remains an unresolved issue. ... We are caught between a government that refuses to change course, an army that will sabotage any attempt at change, and a poisoned population that has been brainwashed since childhood and is devoid of critical thinking.”
Pro-Palestine demonstrations on this day mock the victims
Anti-Israel demonstrations are due to take place in several Swedish cities on the anniversary of the Hamas massacre. Expressen is incensed:
“The choice of 7 October – the day on which Hamas murdered 1,200 people – is a mockery of the men, women and children who were killed. ... There are valid reasons to criticise Israel. The policies of the Netanyahu government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have hit the Palestinians extremely and disproportionately hard. But the State of Israel has a right to exist. Demonstrators chanting 'Palestine from the river to the sea' do not accept this. ... Anyone who wants their own grief to be respected must show understanding for the grief of others. There are 364 other days in the year on which they can demonstrate.”
Zero tolerance for antisemitism
De Telegraaf complains that protests against Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip have degenerated into antisemitism – also in the Netherlands:
“This trend is fuelled by weak politicians who fail to consistently enforce laws and regulations, and by politicians who side with those who sympathise with terrorism. It is outrageous that no line is being drawn. Where is the moral red line? ... Antisemitism must be combated at all times; there is no legitimate excuse. The same applies to the glorification of terror. There can be no place for this in our democratic society. Anyone who backs the barbarity of 7 October is no better than a Hamas terrorist.”