​Alon Liel: Article and Interview by the Turkish News Agency Anadolu

A former senior Israeli diplomat said the war in Gaza has created a deep divide among Israeli society, with pressure mounting on the government in Tel Aviv from both the public and the military to bring the hostages held by Hamas home, even at the cost of halting military operations.

Support is growing for a petition launched by approximately 1,000 current and former Israeli Air Force reservists calling for the return of all captives held in the Gaza Strip, even if it means ending the war against Hamas.

The petitions have now received over 122,000 signatures, with support from across Israeli society, including navy personnel, armored units, military intelligence, army doctors, intelligence personnel, academics, retired foreign ministry officials, teachers, parents, and others.

Alon Liel, a former director general of Israel's Foreign Ministry and charge d'affaires in Ankara, is among 110 retired ambassadors who have signed a letter calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza to ensure the safe return of hostages held by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Speaking to Anadolu, Liel said Israeli leaders should prioritize the lives of the remaining 59 hostages.

The attacks in Gaza must stop “immediately,” Liel underlined. “First of all, we need the 59 hostages back, even if we have to end the war.”

Liel said the issue of the 59 Israeli hostages held by Hamas has caused a deep rift in Israeli society, saying: “It's ruining Israel.”

“It's ruining Israeli society. And Israeli society is very divided on it. Some think the most important thing is to bring them back. The others say the most important thing is to destroy Hamas,” he said, adding, “Israeli society is torn apart.”

Pressure rising on Israeli military

Although the petitions signed by Israelis add pressure on the Israeli government, Liel said the primary challenge now comes from within the army.

“Less and less people want to go to fight on the reserve. You know, (with) compulsory service, you have to go. But reserves, especially after you were a year in Gaza, you can say, ‘I have to take care of my family.’ So, the pressure comes from the military. The military says, ‘we don't have enough soldiers'.”

He warned that if the number of soldiers refusing to serve continues to rise, it could cause significant problems.

“At the moment, I don't think it's a problem. But if this continues, and more and more people stop going into the army, it might be a big problem for him (Premier Netanyahu),” said Liel.

“Because he doesn't have the ultra-Orthodox and he is relying all the time on the secular part of the population, the secular part does not support the war,” Liel noted, adding: “They are tired. So, it might affect the military, and the military can put pressure on Netanyahu.”

Long-term consequences

Liel said many Israelis are still reeling from the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and are focused primarily on their own pain, pointing out the limited public awareness of the devastation unfolding in Gaza.

He emphasized that the attacks carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen since Oct. 7, 2023, will have a negative impact on the future of the Jewish community in Israel and around the world.

“I try to look at it from a historical perspective. In five or 10 years, when the world looks at this war, with the number of casualties that we caused, the amount of damage that we caused, and the amount of suffering that we caused, Israel will have a problem for generations. And not only Israel, (but) also the Jewish people, because the number of casualties is huge and still growing,” he pointed out.

“And, to the 51,000 killed in Gaza, we have to add about 10,000 killed in other places… in Lebanon, in Syria, in Yemen, just name it.

“So, this will be an account that Israel will have to carry on its shoulders for generations. Israelis said: ‘We were attacked, we were murdered, we were raped, (and) we were entitled to do whatever we wanted.’ But the world doesn't see it like this, and we'll have big problems, maybe even legal problems… problems regarding our image and political problems in the future, when people look at the overall result of this war.”

- ‘Nothing to do with the security of Israel’

Liel rejected the Israeli government’s claim that the war in Gaza is essential for national security.

“First of all, I think the war at this stage has nothing to do with the security of Israel, and (it) is even causing us damage,” he warned.

According to Liel, Netanyahu will lead a right-wing, religious coalition with 68 members in the 120-seat Knesset as long as he is in charge, indicating that the prime minister feels politically safe.

He noted that Bezalel Smotrich, the head of the Religious Zionism party, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of the Jewish Power party, oppose any halt to the Gaza attacks, noting that Ben-Gvir resigned in protest when a cease-fire went into effect on Jan. 19 but rejoined the government when the attacks resumed.

“I think Netanyahu is paralyzed" because if he stops the war, he might have to end his coalition and maybe announce elections, Liel said, adding: "He doesn't want to take this risk.”

More than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.