Etgar Keret, one of the most respected Israeli writers in the world, was interviewed this morning (Tuesday) by the Italian newspaper"Corriere della Sera" - and described the situation in Israel as a "nightmare," adding: "Israel is destroying entire cities and using hunger as a weapon of war."

Etgar Keret (Photo: Ryan Preuss)

"We must put an end to the massacre. Our democracy is not functioning," read the headline of his interview in the largest and oldest daily in Italy. During the interview, the writer argued that the debate over the term"genocide" was important, but he refused to use the term at the moment because, first of all,"we must stop the massacre, release the hostages - and then call in lawyers to determine the exact definition."

Keret also accused the Netanyahu government of ignoring the will of the public: "The vast majority of Israelis want to stop the fighting and see the kidnapped people home. Only about 20 percent support the continuation of the violence - and they currently sit in positions of power." He also called the same group "racists, messianics and fanatics - a small segment similar to the neo-Nazis in Germany, but here they are in the government."

Keret described Israeli society as being in the "fog of October 7" that fuels anxiety and distrust, and claimed that in the Israeli media,"there is almost no reporting on the situation in Gaza, and most people do not know what is happening there."

He said that every Shabbat he and his wife (Shira Gefen) stand on the street with a picture of a Palestinian child to "break the victim mentality" that has led to the emergence of "selective empathy" in Israel, which does not allow one to see the pain of others.

At the end of his remarks, Keret said that he believes that the foundations of Israeli democracy will stand the test of their ability to stop the war and establish a new political horizon:"History is marching toward two states and regional normalization. I want to believe that we will wake up from the fog and understand what a tragedy we have fallen into."