I have loved Israel for as long as I can remember. Not because I believe it is a perfect country, but because it is an extraordinary one. One of the qualities I admire most is that Israel remains a vibrant democracy in one of the most unstable regions in the world. It is a nation where people debate passionately, where governments can be challenged, where citizens can protest, and where every vote matters.

As the founder of the Dutch foundation Time To Stand Up For Israel, I have always made a conscious decision to stay away from Israel’s internal politics. I live in the Netherlands. I cannot vote in Israeli elections, and I do not believe it is my place to tell Israelis which political party they should support. My role has always been to support Israel as a nation, to defend its legitimacy, to counter misinformation, and to stand against antisemitism. Governments come and go. Israel remains.

Yet watching from the sidelines has become increasingly difficult.

Over the past several years, I have become deeply concerned by the growing divisions within Israeli society. Political disagreements are entirely normal in any democracy. They are even healthy. But what I have witnessed in Israel often goes far beyond disagreement. Endless demonstrations, growing hostility between political camps, public attacks on institutions, and an atmosphere in which fellow Israelis increasingly view each other as enemies rather than partners have created an image of a nation struggling with itself.

That worries me far more than any election result ever could.

Some recent events have only reinforced that concern. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir understandably expressed........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)