Gershom Gorenberg wonders if, after being comatose for a decade, the Israeli left may be regaining consciousness — woken by the injustice of Sheikh Jarrah:
The left’s protests began with a few dozen peace activists holding vigils in the neighborhood. When police began arresting peaceful demonstrators, says activist Avner Inbar, the issue of freedom of expression was added to the mix. The arrests aroused media attention, and the demonstrations — now held outside the cordoned-off neighborhood — kept growing. So did the range of participants. Alongside Palestinians, Israeli Arabs, and members of the radical Anarchists Against the Wall, one can regularly find former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg, novelist David Grossman, and philosopher Moshe Halbertal, a co-author of the Israel Defense Forces ethical code. Michael Ben-Yair, the former attorney general, has taken part. All are well known doves — very establishment doves.