On a cult – Yossi Melman in Haaretz:

‘The protest movement against Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which subsided after Hamas invaded Israel on October 7th, 2023 is surging once again and this time, it's spreading to more and more parts of Israel's military and intelligence services.
This new protest movement was launched by Israeli air force pilots, navigators, and ground crews. Air force personnel were also the spearhead of the previous wave of protests, which began after Netanyahu was elected for the sixth time as prime minister in 2023 and began its program of undermining judicial independence and democracy in Israel.’

(…)

‘The petition was signed by three former Mossad chiefs: Danny Yatom, Efraim Halevy, and Tamir Pardo. Another former Mossad chief, Yossi Cohen, who is ideologically rooted in the right-wing, was once considered close to Netanyahu, and is believed to have political ambitions to succeed him, did not join the signatories.’

(…)

‘Their position, backed by then Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, combined with public protests by hundreds of thousands of Israelis who flooded the streets across the country, forced Netanyahu's government to back down and suspend its plans to turn Israel into a quasi-dictatorship modeled after Turkey and Hungary.
But then, Hamas invaded Israel. The group engaged in massacre, torture and rape, and also abducted 251 people, most of them Israelis, into Gaza. The very same reservists, motivated by deep patriotism, who had protested in the streets, were the first to answer the call and return to active service.’

(…)

‘"Netanyahu is interested in prolonging the war," I was told by a senior Mossad operative who signed the petition, "to create a sense of emergency in order to solidify his power. This is his true goal and not security concerns."
The signatories of the petitions by IDF, Mossad and Shin Bet veterans clearly stated that, unlike before October 7, they did not express any reservations to serve and to be called to reserve duty; they were solely, if sharply, manifesting their right as citizens to voice their opinions.
Netanyahu's response was typical of a leader who heads a cult of believers, convinced that he is Israel's savior and completely deaf to the feelings of the clear majority of the public.
He dismissed them as "frustrated retirees."’

(…)

‘Magen would surely have endorsed hearing her principles voiced by David Meidan, the former Mossad operative and protest organizer, who has become an almost lyrical voice of the opposition to Netanyahu. He recently described the prime minister as "emotionally numb, attentive only to his fears. The chaos he creates in the country is his way of escaping from his own inner personal chaos. He is afraid. For him, the loss of power means the gates of hell will open upon him – and likely upon his family as well.’

Read the article here.

Create chaos, so you can avoid you own chaos.

Or create chaos in order to avoid fear of dying?

After the loss of power: hell. It’s more biblical than Shakeapeare.

Please note, that also in the protest movement Palestinians are not part of the equation.