Israel’s Wrath Turns Toward Its Internal Dissenters

Al-Ahram, Egypt, March 2

The most recent reports from Israel shed light on the fact that the country’s crackdown is now not only against Palestinians. Rather, Israel has escalated its efforts to silence its own citizens who criticize the government’s policies through peaceful means. These dissenters, a minority, are now facing the full brunt of the government’s wrath. Just last week, the Russia Today website exposed two shocking incidents. First, the case of Israeli teacher Meir Baruchin, who became a target due to his social media posts attempting to humanize Palestinians, thereby encouraging Israelis to view them as fellow human beings. In these posts, Baruchin spoke out against the brutal actions of the Israeli military in Gaza—actions that he claims are shielded from the Israeli public by local media, becoming known only to those who follow foreign news outlets. In his own words: “I am against the mass killing in Gaza, and as an Israeli citizen, I take responsibility for what is happening and am willing to face the consequences.” Baruchin highlighted the long-standing injustices faced by Palestinians in Israel, from mass killings to property theft and cultural erasure. His criticisms led to his arrest by Israeli police, who detained him for four days on trumped-up charges of incitement and disturbing public order, even subjecting him to harsh treatment he believed would have been escalated had he been Palestinian. The second incident involves Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham, whose collaboration with Palestinian director Basel Adra on a documentary highlighting the demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank won critical acclaim at the Berlin Film Festival. In his acceptance speech, Abraham condemned Israel’s apartheid policies, called for peace in Gaza, and drew attention to the stark contrast in freedoms between himself and his Palestinian colleague living under occupation. Following his bold statements, Abraham received death threats from Jewish extremists, who targeted his family and home, compelling them to seek safety elsewhere. Abraham, fearing for his safety, chose not to return to Israel, on which he turned his back amid the escalating threats. — Ahmed Abdel-Tawwab (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)