Israel is on the brink of civil war, says the New Israel Fund chief. Here's what it will look like
The Israeli left has gotten used to fighting small, isolated battles. Mickey Gitzin, head of the New Israel Fund, thinks on a completely different scale – and says leftists can't leave now
Mickey Gitzin at Rabin Square. Shaping a new vision for the NIF - and the Israeli left. Credit: Tomer Appelbaum
The Israeli left has gotten used to fighting small, isolated battles. Mickey Gitzin, head of the New Israel Fund, thinks on a completely different scale – and says leftists can't leave now
12:06 AM • January 09 2026 IST
Last November, representatives of all the organizations receiving grants from the New Israel Fund gathered on a greenery-filled patio in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood of Tel Aviv. There were people working on refugee issues and the occupation, human rights and democracy, torture and religious coercion and unrecognized villages in the Negev. Above the lavish buffet tables, storm clouds began to gather. According to all forecasts, they were about to cut short a wonderful, summery late-autumn week. Guests arriving from the Negev and from Jerusalem reported that in their areas, the storm was already in full force.
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