Friends,
With the world watching on in horror as the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza expands, there’s a growing disconnect between the views of the Israeli public – still reeling from the horror of October 7 and impacted by the continued trauma of a country at war – and those watching from abroad, including pro-Israel Americans.
“It’s not that Israelis don’t care about global attitudes,” wrote political analyst Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin in The Guardian about this phenomenon, but rather that they see “their suspicions that the world is always against them have come true.”
“External pressure probably won’t change Israelis’ minds on its own,” she wrote, but it does add to the growing sense that their government is “lethally incompetent” and willing to “sacrifice democracy and hostages while turning the country and its people into global pariahs."
To examine the media, political and social forces shaping Israeli public opinion, we’re joined on Tuesday by Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin herself as well as Maya Roman, a progressive activist whose cousin was held by Hamas, and Alon-Lee Green, whose group Standing Together has been holding joint Jewish-Arab bilateral ceasefire rallies across Israel.
The Gaza War:
The Forces Shaping Israeli Public Opinion
Register
Tuesday, March 5
2pm Eastern | 11am Pacific
Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin is one of Israel’s leading political analysts and pollsters. She recently published this must-read piece in The Guardian on Israeli attitudes toward the war amid growing contempt for Netanyahu and this New York Times piece about public opinion on hostage negotiations.
Maya Roman is a lecturer at Tel Aviv University, founder of the feminist news organization “Politically Corret” and an advocate pressing for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, after Hamas took her cousin, Yarden, from her home in Kibbutz Be'eri. Yarden was released in November’s temporary ceasefire, which led to the release of over 100 hostages, while her sister-in-law Carmel Gat remains in captivity.
Alon-Lee Green is a leading solidarity advocate and the co-director of Standing Together, a grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of equality. The group continues to advocate against the war, pressing for an urgent bilateral ceasefire to bring hostages home.
We hope to see you on Tuesday for this important conversation. Register now to ensure you don’t miss out >>
– J Street Events
