Bereaved families demand new Israeli government draft unity plan within 100 days

Israeli society has fractured along religious and political lines, a divide that bereaved families now say threatens the nation's stability. A coalition known as Hamechane has set a firm deadline for the incoming government: create a national framework for social cohesion within the first 100 days of the new administration.

The initiative is led by relatives who lost loved ones during the October 7 attacks and the subsequent war. Moshe Shapiro, whose son Aner was killed defending festival-goers on October 7, 2023, is a central figure. He is joined by Hoda Daxa, wife of Col. Ehsan Daxa, who died leading troops in northern Gaza in October 2024, and Shai Zohar, uncle of Capt. Omer Neutra, a soldier killed on October 7 whose body was returned from Gaza in November 2025.

The group's name references the mathematical concept of finding a common denominator. Members include families of the fallen, captivity survivors, and wounded veterans. They are not demanding a single political platform but rather a structural commitment to keeping the country together.

Shapiro points to a successful historical precedent: the wildflower protection campaign of the 1960s. That effort combined legal safeguards with public education, teaching generations of children to respect nature. He argues that respect for one's neighbors, even when deeply disagreed with, needs to become equally ingrained in the national character.

Zohar described internal polarization as Israel's greatest existential threat. He believes the divisions that existed before October 7 helped enable the attack. "Unity is an operating system, an approach," Zohar said. He warned that the country cannot slip backward because it has already paid an immense price for its current state.

The discussion also touches on specific legislative gaps. The 2018 Nation-State Law reserves national self-determination to the Jewish people and defines Hebrew as the state language. While the High Court upheld the law in 2021, Druze critics, including Daxa, argue it excludes a community whose soldiers fight for the state. Daxa recalled a train ride where she felt discomfort from passengers after speaking Arabic, noting that "hatred doesn't distinguish."

Building the group's consensus took a year. Shapiro said they brought together religious and secular Jews, haredim, Druze, and members of the right and left. "This is the face of Israeli society," he said. The group emphasizes open dialogue over rigid alignment, with members voting for different parties but agreeing to listen before assuming one side is correct.

Shapiro draws a parallel to the pre-Six Day War period when his grandfather, Haim-Moshe Shapiro, urged Prime Minister Levi Eshkol to include opposition parties in the government. In 1967, the cabinet was widened to include leaders like Menachem Begin and Moshe Dayan. Shapiro hopes the new government will show similar willingness to bridge divides.

The group has left the specific structure of the proposed body to elected officials and professionals. They want the framework to work through schools, workplaces, and communities, teaching children how to handle disagreement. They also seek measures against online activity that inflames hatred.

Daxa believes recognizing polarization as a national danger is the first step. Shapiro clarified that he is not asking people to sacrifice their identities, only to listen and make room for others. The group waits to see if the next cabinet will treat this mandate as a top priority.