The May 22 lead editorial in Israel’s oldest newspaper, Haaretz, hit hard: “The war in Gaza must end immediately. The government must strive for a deal to bring back all of the hostages, withdraw the Israel Defense Forces from the Strip and end the war. As the bombings continue to claim the lives of dozens, if not hundreds, of residents, including infants and children, as famine spreads, Israel sinks into the mire and puts a mark of Cain on its forehead that will remain for generations.”
The editors evoked world opinion. “The world has realized that there’s no point in waiting for Israel to come to its senses…. The political tsunami is already here. The leaders of Britain, Canada and France announced that they will consider imposing sanctions. Twenty-five Western countries issued a joint statement expressing concern over Gaza. Britain froze talks on a free trade agreement; the foreign secretary announced sanctions on settlers and summoned the Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely for a formal reprimand. France’s foreign minister said his country supports a review of the Association Agreement with Israel, and the foreign ministers of the European Union will convene to discuss it. Of the EU’s 27 member countries, 17 have already approved a reexamination of the legal basis for the agreement.”
And more: “The Washington Post quoted a source as saying that U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘people are letting Israel know, “We will abandon you if you do not end this war."’” Concluding that Israel will “turn into a blackballed pariah state,” Haaretz editors demand: “The Israeli public must raise its voice in favor of a deal, in favor of ending the war and the starvation—before the world does it for us.”
