Hundreds of retired pilots and Air Force reservists gathered in front of the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv on Aug. 12, in support of IDF commander Eyal Zamir and calling for an end to the war. They eventually joined the thousands of demonstrators who have for 22 months now been calling for an end to the war, the rescue of hostages and the start of a political process for Gaza. IDF veterans had already signed a letter asking for the Gaza occupation plans to be halted. At first they were 600, but the number has more than tripled, the Italian Catholic Bishops daily Avvenire reported. “For Netanyahu, this is the biggest threat, because no force and no politician in Israel is as respected as the IDF,” the newspaper wrote. “At this point, quite a few say they hope that the military will take control in some unprecedented way to save Israel. A climate that was unimaginable just a few weeks ago.”