We promised we wouldn't return to October 6 — and the politicians are dragging us there

Attorney Ilana Shoshan calls on leaders to abandon boycott politics during the Ten Days of Repentance, arguing that the current political division resembles the period before October 7 and endangers national unity.

Attorney Ilana Shoshan publishes an opinion piece in Maariv during the Ten Days of Repentance, calling on Israel's leaders to abandon boycott politics. She compares the current political divide, focused on which politicians refuse to sit with whom, to the period of October 6, 2023 — the eve of the October 7 massacre. Shoshan describes how political boycotts have trickled down to the public, leading to hatred and division, which manifested in disruptions of Yom Kippur prayers. She notes that after October 7, the people united, ended the boycotts, and demanded that leaders rally together. With the opening of the current election campaign, she argues that boycott politics has returned to the screens, warning that renewed division could signal to enemies that internal disputes matter more than the external threat. Shoshan calls on leaders to conduct a substantive election campaign based on ideas and vision, rather than boycotts.