A deep expression of toxic division/ Yair Kraus
Time and again over the past two years, I wanted to join the national gathering at Hostages Square to show support for my beloved brothers and sisters who were abducted. Yet every time, something stopped me. Something in the air, in the painful soundtrack, made it feel like the square belonged to only one camp — as if the pain over the hostages was reserved exclusively for those who oppose the government.
Yes, there were occasional gestures toward inclusion — people from the right or the religious Zionist community were sometimes invited to participate in side ceremonies with songs and prayers — but always as guests, expected to obey the “house rules.”
This week, at the peak of national joy as our brothers and sisters return home, came the painful answer to that feeling. The harsh boos that greeted the names of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister Ron Dermer were not only a protest against individuals. They were a raw expression of the deep rift that has poisoned us — a wound that refuses to heal.
No one can ignore Netanyahu’s heavy responsibility, along with the entire security establishment, for the Oct. 7 catastrophe and the unbearable price Israel paid. The criticism is justified; the anger is immense. But the public booing, in front of U.S. representatives and others, went far beyond that. It became contempt for anyone outside the “right camp,” for anyone who dared think differently about the war — even those whose hearts broke for the hostages just as much.
It was also contempt for those who saw in this war not only failure, but also courage and unimaginable achievements against an enemy bent on Israel’s destruction. And it was contempt for anyone who didn’t fully endorse the demand to release the hostages at any cost and stop the fighting.
The square, meant to be the unifying heart of the nation, became for many a place of exclusion — unable to hold complexity or recognize that war, with all its horrors, is not a symmetrical event. The applause for Jared Kushner’s comments about the suffering of Gaza’s “innocents,” as if one could equate victims with a terror-supporting society, was just as jarring as the boos.
Even the cheers for former President Donald Trump, as if he bore any responsibility for preventing another October 7, were a surreal political spectacle.
Let’s be honest: the right has also stoked division and fear toward the left. But Hostages Square, which was supposed to represent us all, has too often become a battleground for one camp. The boos weren’t just for Netanyahu — they were for anyone labeled “messianic,” a “hostage sacrificer,” or any other slogan used to delegitimize them, even those who paid a heavy personal price for Israel’s security.
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Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at the rally in Hostages Square
(Photo: Jack Guez / AFP)
Now, as this bloody chapter closes and the hostages return home, we have a historic — perhaps last — chance for healing. We must create a new conversation: one among partners in a shared nation, unwilling to continue the cycle of mutual hatred and boycotts. A new public space where we don’t have to agree on everything, but where we must, absolutely must, treat one another with respect and as equal partners in rebuilding Israel and its people.
Why we must — and have every right — to boo Netanyahu/ Raanan Shaked
Because it’s the strongest and most immediate feeling most Israelis have when they hear the name “Netanyahu.” Disgust. (Check the polls if you haven’t spoken with Israelis lately.)
Because even former President Donald Trump has expressed similar feelings — he once said of Netanyahu, “He f***ed me.”
Because it’s reciprocal, Netanyahu has shown nothing but contempt toward the hundreds of thousands of good Israelis who begged for a hostage deal. He never came to Hostages Square, never uttered a word of empathy or understanding, never acknowledged what we’ve all endured. Every time he appeared in public, his expression conveyed one emotion: disdain. So yes — disdain in return.
Because Netanyahu and his son have labeled those same Israelis — loyal, serving, tax-paying citizens — as “mobs,” “fascist militias,” and “delusional extremists.” They disdained first.
Because “how dare they boo in front of an American envoy” is rich coming from the man who dismantled every symbol of statehood in Israel. If there’s no statesmanship left anywhere, there’s none in Hostages Square either. There’s only booing.
Because of the policy of funding Hamas, of ignoring repeated explicit warnings from military and intelligence chiefs, of October 7 itself, and worse, October 8, when Netanyahu’s first act after regaining composure was to meet with his media advisers to blame everyone but himself. That evokes only one response: contempt.
Because since that day, Netanyahu has done everything to prioritize his government’s survival over the hostages’ lives — sabotaging deals, derailing negotiations, reoccupying Gaza, botching talks with Qatar. His symbolic gestures mean nothing; his actions mean everything.
Because he truly believes he deserves to stay in power — that he bears no responsibility, owes no apology, and can simply deceive, distract and manipulate his way out of the worst national disaster in Israel’s history. Such a man inspires only contempt.
Because if we’re already speaking to Trump, we might as well share our feelings about a leader who no longer represents most of us. Trump knows exactly what we mean.
Because in a democracy, the public has every right to express spontaneous emotion at a mass gathering. This is a democracy, isn’t it?
Because on the second anniversary of October 7, while families were holding memorials, Netanyahu’s network broadcast the celebrations of “The Patriots” under the caption “And you shall rejoice on your holiday!” — the ultimate expression of disdain for the nation’s grief. How did you expect people to react? With applause?
Because if we didn’t feel contempt for him, we’d have to feel it for ourselves.
Because after two years in which Netanyahu led Israel to the most divided and demoralized state in its history, what reaction did you expect? Applause? Only boos.
Because it was long overdue — something we just needed to get out of the way: to boo Netanyahu in front of someone who might actually listen.
Because, after all, they only booed him. It’s not like they carried a coffin with his name on it. He’ll manage.
The uproar over the boos directed at Netanyahu in Hostages Square has become a mirror of Israel’s own divide — between those who see it as a disgraceful outburst of hate and those who view it as a legitimate, even necessary, democratic expression of fury toward the country’s leadership.