- 'Just because of my political views, I have received some death threats,' Israeli human rights activist Alon Ysan Cohen tells Anadolu
- 'I cannot express how disgusted I am by what my people are doing in name of democracy,' Jonathan Gabinovic, another activist, says
TEL AVIV, Israel
Israeli human rights activists said that they received death threats for opposing attacks on the Gaza Strip.
In the attacks that have been ongoing for over two months on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army, thousands of Palestinian children and women have been killed.
While the majority of Israeli society supports these attacks, there are also a small number of Israelis who oppose the war.
One of them, Alon Ysan Cohen, told Anadolu: "I follow what is happening in Gaza, I see the suffering, I see the killing, I see the massacre. About 20,000 people (Palestinians) have been killed, maybe even more, and it breaks my heart. This is terrible! I think we need to stop immediately. I believe this is inhumane. We need to stop the suffering in Gaza."
Cohen, who shares his views on social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, said: "Just because of my political views, I have received some death threats in my inbox, some very ugly curses, and very ugly personal insults. This scares me a lot when expressing my political opinion, but I still do it.”
A few weeks ago, when I opposed the war, I received death threats in my inbox again. So, speaking right now is very scary for me, but I still feel it's crucial to raise my voice against the war. Because very few people in Israel are currently speaking out against the war. I want to be one of them. I want to say that it's time for the world to stand against (war)," he added.
Cohen asserted that the only solution to the problem lies in dialogue and negotiation and said: "(War) inflicts pain on Palestinians, brings more violence here (to Israel), brings more hatred, and causes this place to descend into increasing darkness. We must stop this trend towards more darkness. We should talk, find solutions, and find a way to make this place better for everyone. We must find a way for everyone to live here equally, together, in peace, and with justice."
‘This war is absolutely unbearable’
Jonathan Gabinovic, 19, who participated in an anti-war demonstration in Tel Aviv, is one of the Israeli human rights activists raising their voices against the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza.
Gabinovic said that as a Jew living in Israel, it is very difficult to oppose war and the killing of civilians due to societal pressure.
"In recent years, I have been increasingly exposed to the Israel-Palestine conflict. I've seen the Palestinians, I've seen their suffering, and this war is absolutely unbearable," he said.
He emphasized that the pain inflicted by the Israeli army is not limited to Gaza alone, recalling a message from a Palestinian friend living in the occupied West Bank two weeks ago: "He said that a friend's child was shot in the head by the Israeli army, not in Gaza but in the West Bank. This is a crime, this is a war crime."
He said that many people in Israel who were previously left-leaning now support right-wing parties due to this war. "They say, 'I wish I were still left-wing, but this war is unbearable, and I have to be right-wing now. I have to support my party and my people.' There is a lot of pressure from families, people on the street, the police, the army, anyone who speaks Hebrew, and everyone living here. For me, living now is one of the most challenging periods I have ever been through."
He said: "I have seen a lot of death throughout my life, but this is something entirely new and terrible. I cannot express how disgusted I am by what my people are doing in the name of democracy. We are killing children in the name of legitimate defense, and it's incredibly terrible. I can't find words to describe this in my heart. It's heartbreaking; I suffer a lot, and if I were to say that I support Palestinians, I would be silenced, threatened, or assaulted on the streets. If I speak against the war or against the soldiers."
"People in Tel Aviv are moving around the city with weapons like militants. Israel is under the command of Ben-Gvir's M16 militants, and it's very frightening. I can't go to my own city without people carrying weapons. Everyone I see right now is holding a gun. The process of getting a gun license is very easy because they want blood, they want chaos, they want control, they want power," he added.
Gabinovic went on to say that the conflict between Israel and Palestine did not start on Oct. 7 but with the rise to power of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the most radical minister in the cabinet, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
"They have been suppressing Palestinians for decades. They don't hear us and our pain. It's so difficult; I don't know how to live here, and I don't know how to say 'I am with you' to my (Palestinian) friends. I couldn't talk to them because of the horror they are experiencing. I tried, but it was very difficult to talk to them. My Palestinian friends are currently under siege," he added.
"Since the beginning of the war, 256 people have died in the West Bank. It's not Gaza; it's not a conflict zone. It's the West Bank. And since last Friday in Gaza, 900 people have died, and it's very tough," he added.
Critiquing the support the US provides to Israel, Gabinovic said: "The US sends more money here, to the Middle East, and sends a nuclear aircraft carrier to threaten and supposedly protect (Israeli) democracy. This is very shocking. It's a proxy war, and it's unbelievable."
Asked if he still has hope for peace after all these events, he said: "I want to believe that there is hope and that I can live in peace with other nations and people. However, right now, there is a very dark period in the history of Israel and Palestine. This is the bloodiest and most disgusting war in Israel and Palestine."
"To be honest, right now, I just want to stay alive. If I'm going to be shot on the street, I can't see hope. If people are going to threaten me, or if I can't talk about hope with my Arab friends, I can't see hope. Still, deep down, I see hope. I continue to fight against fascism, right-wing extremism, and occupation, but right now, it's very tough," he added.
*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul
