I landed in Israel last week on one of the saddest days in Israeli history. The Bibas children had just returned home in coffins.
But amidst—and despite—the collective heartbreak, I also found hope. I found an Israeli civil society that was committed, resolute, and determined to push back against hopelessness, hatred, and creeping autocracy. In dozens of conversations with our grantees, staff, Israeli board and allies there was one through line: nobody, and I mean nobody, was remotely considering giving up the fight for a better future. Apathy, checking out, turning inward—these simply were not options for the proud defenders of Israeli civil society.
Their grit, determination, and, frankly, fearlessness, made me think of a classic teaching from the 18th century hasidic rabbi Nachman of Breslov: kol haolam kulo gesher tzar me’od, v’haikar lo lefached klal: the entire world is a very narrow bridge—and the essential thing is not to be paralyzed by fear.
To be clear, no one I met with was pollyannaish about the threats facing Israel and Israeli democracy. They are enormous, and without the restraints imposed by previous United States administrations, they loom even larger.
Right now, the ceasefire deal teeters on the edge of collapse. The first stage of the ceasefire expired last Sunday, and the future of the deal is uncertain. Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to be looking for ways to torpedo stage two—he is desperate to keep his far-right settler partners from bolting his coalition. They insist that the only thing that will keep them in is if Israel resumes the war in Gaza, something that will undoubtedly come at the expense of the lives of Israeli hostages still in the enclave–as well as the lives of Palestinian civilians there. A mere 9% of all Israelis—including Likud voters—think this is a good idea.
And so, despite the horror and the heartbreak, NIF and the Israeli civil society organizations we support are ready to fight. They are ready to go back to the streets to demand a ceasefire, the return of the hostages, and an end to the war. They are putting themselves on the line in the fight for a better future for everyone in the region—Israelis and Palestinians alike—and we need to have their backs.
Yes, there are a number of terrible antidemocratic bills working their ways through the legislatures in both Israel and the US (as well as executive orders), aimed at shutting up and shutting down human rights defenders. Yes, the Arab world, led by Egypt, proposed a reasonable plan for a permanent ceasefire and the rehabilitation of Gaza that was rejected out of hand by both the Israeli and U.S. administrations. Yes, Israel’s internal security services (the Shin Bet) published findings of its investigation into its own response to October 7, and found Netanyahu’s policies helped pave the way for that attack. And yes, the architect of the ‘judicial overhaul,’ Justice Minister Yariv Levin, finally began the formal process of firing the Attorney General, working to cut out yet another democratic check on the power of the executive.
Yes, all of this is happening, all at once. But—as always—Israel’s civil society organizations and activists are already rising to meet these challenges.
The implementation of Stage 1 and the dramatic change it has brought in Israel public opinion will soon collide with the coalition’s abuse of the victims and its efforts to tank the deal. The anger will erupt. The great majority of Israelis will not agree to leaving the remaining hostages in Gaza and resuming the war for political reasons. Many of them, certainly the hostages’ families, may escalate their fight in ways we haven’t yet seen.
These are the people we are standing with. They are the ones we are fighting for. They, and their children, their neighbors, their fellow citizens—Arab and Jewish alike—are what stands in the way of Netanyahu and his cronies’ campaign to dismantle what’s left of Israel’s democracy.
And of course, the democratic backsliding that Israelis have experienced for a decade has now arrived on the shores of the United States. I am so grateful to our Israeli colleagues for their example and for their courage. We in the U.S. must also take Rebbe Nachman’s advice. We must not be paralyzed by fear—because that is what they want.
As we have seen time after time in Israel, the most effective tool to hold back authoritarianism is an empowered, vibrant civil society. That’s what I saw when I was in Israel and that’s the spirit I want to bring back home.
So, take courage my friends. We are not alone and we are not afraid–and both here and in Israel we are engaged in the same fight for a better future.