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Israeli Voices Against Gaza War: Gilad Kariv -1

Now that a ceasefire has taken effect in Gaza, the world breathes a sigh of relief that the devastating fighting between Israel and Hamas will come to an end, alleviating the suffering of 2.1 million Palestinians in the Strip.

Although most Members of Knesset (MKs) were supportive of the Israeli war on Gaza, some spoke out against the war, criticizing Israel’s conduct of war and the inhumane crimes against the Palestinians.

Two of the most prominent MK critics of the war are Gilad Kariv and Ofer Cassif, who have stood out against Benjamin Netanyahu government’s policies and expressed harsh criticism of the Gaza war.

Who is Gilad Kariv?

Elected in 2021, Gilad Kariv is the first Reform rabbi to serve in the Knesset for the Democrats and previously for the Labor Party. He was born in Tel Aviv in 1973. Kariv is an Israeli attorney and the former CEO of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism.

Israeli Voices Against Gaza War: Gilad Kariv -1
Gilad Kariv

Kariv was also appointed as the Chairman of the Constitution Law and Justice Committee in the Bennett-Lapid government. He quickly emerged as the leading parliamentary voice opposing the judicial overhaul championed by his successor, the far-right politician Simcha Rothman.

Slamming Knesset Lawmakers

In a powerful speech at the Knesset, on January 3, 2025, MK Gilad Kariv slammed his fellow lawmakers for supporting Israeli resettlement in the Gaza Strip.

Kariv criticized the inhumane treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, especially children, women and elderly people, rejecting the claims that no Palestinians in the Strip are innocent, even newborn babies.

Moreover, Kariv called these behaviors a “religious, spiritual, national, and moral mutation,” accusing fellow MKs of tarnishing the Torah with their disgraceful manners.

Reviving the Two-State Solution

Kariv was one of the Israeli politicians who revived the idea of the two-state solution to restore stability and security. In November 2023, Kariv outlined a vision for reviving the political process between the Palestinians and Israel once the war ends.

“The only way to secure the ability of the two national communities that are sharing the same piece of land to live in peace and prosperity is the two-state solution,” he said during an interview with New Republic.

Israeli Voices Against Gaza War: Gilad Kariv -1
Gilad Kariv

This should be based on three principles, according to Kariv. “One is that Hamas cannot control the Gaza Strip. Two, that Israel will not re-control the lives of two million Palestinians,” he noted.

“And third, with the involvement of the international community, the moderate Arab countries, we need to create a new civilian reality in the Gaza Strip that will promote a new political process between Israel and the Palestinians,” Kariv said.

He reiterated the idea at the Peace Now conference in Tel Aviv, in December 2023, the Times of Israel reported back then.

“We must insist that the final goal that will guarantee the future of the State of Israel is the separation between the Palestinians and us and the establishment of a sovereign, viable Palestinian framework in [the West Bank] and Gaza, alongside a Jewish and democratic State of Israel, while maintaining the necessary security arrangements,” Kariv said.

Gaza’s Humanitarian Suffering

Since the war broke out in October 2023, more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, have lost their lives due to the Israeli aggression and more than 111,000 have been wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Moreover, 1.9 million people (90% of Gaza’s population) have been displaced, according to UN figures. Children, in particular, have borne the brunt of the war, with at least 14,500 children killed and thousands more injured, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell.

In a preliminary debris quantification assessment, the UN-Habitat and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) estimated that the debris resulted from the war in the Gaza Strip amounted to 50,773,496 tons by 1 December 2024.

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