I was in my home country of Israel during the horrors of October 7. A terrifying week later, I packed my bags, and returned to my second home in Australia. Here, I found a Jewish community largely unwilling to march for a ceasefire and an immediate end to the atrocities of the war. Many found the pro-Palestine protests repulsive, while others saw them as antisemitic.

But is the call for a ceasefire truly objectionable? Unless motivated by tribalism and survival instinct, I believe most Australian Jews should welcome it. Ethically, the killing of more than 25,000 Palestinians, at least 9000 of them children according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, is hard, if not impossible, to justify.

Even the biggest defenders of Israel must acknowledge the mounting civilian death toll is itself becoming a threat to Israeli security and prosperity. It alienates Israel from its most loyal ally, the United States, and throws to waste years of diplomacy with the world at large. This diplomatic crisis is already becoming apparent in the recent court case introduced by South Africa against Israel to the International Court of Justice, and last month’s overwhelmingly positive UN vote on a ceasefire in Gaza.

Another strategic reason for Jews and Israelis to oppose the war is the rise of public support for Hamas in Gaza over the past few months. Where polls and surveys before October 7 showed a nation alienated from its government, the war has united almost three-quarters of Palestinian people behind Hamas, as they deal with mass displacement and continuous air strikes. Israel should be concerned about the effects of these conditions on the radicalisation of a new generation of young Palestinians, who could be susceptible to Hamas ideologies.

A final factor involves the increasing toll of both fatalities and disabilities among Israel Defence Forces soldiers. Countless Jews are fearful for their relatives and friends who are fighting in Gaza, and many are already grieving someone in their extended Israeli circle. These deaths, together with the many ethical and diplomatic considerations, show that advocating for a ceasefire is in the best interests of the Jewish community.

Why then do so many Jews in the Australian (and global) community feel uncomfortable about the protests? I’d like to suggest that this is because the imagery and taglines chosen by the movement are ones that many Jews are deeply uncomfortable with.

For example, the slogan “from the river to the sea” is perhaps one of the most popular chants of the protest movement. While some insist it simply calls for restoration of the human rights of the Palestinian people, the chant is also famously used by Hamas, the militant group which until six years ago had no qualms calling for the destruction of all Jews.

Protesters have every right to use these words, but their fellow Jews will likely feel uncomfortable chanting them or standing alongside those who chant them. A similar reasoning goes for chants involving “intifada revolution”. Again, for many protesters, this chant simply means uprising and liberation, but for many Jews, the word “intifada” conjures up memories of an era of terror, with exploding buses and bloody nightclubs.