Head of Rabbis for Human Rights Avi Dabush announces run in primary for The Democrats

Rabbi Avi Dabush, the head of Rabbis for Human Rights and a leader of the anti-government protest movement in the Negev, announces that he is joining The Democrats and will run for a spot on its slate in the upcoming party primary.

In a Facebook post, Dabush says he is running on behalf of Meretz, which merged with Labor to form The Democrats in June 2024, “in order to bring to the Knesset the voice of the Gaza border area, the voice of the periphery, the voice of the Negev and the voice of the residents of the north” as well as “the voice of all those who seek a different leadership — a leadership of responsibility, integrity, courage and statesmanship.”

Dabush recalls his experience living through October 7 at his home in Kibbutz Nirim when he and his family hid from Hamas terrorists as friends and neighbors were murdered or abducted.

“This disaster happened under a government that abandoned security, disregarded warnings and prioritized political considerations over the good of the country. This is the same government that even today refuses to take responsibility for the greatest failure in Israeli history,” Dabush writes, accusing the government of having “abandoned” the hostages “for the sake of political survival.”

“This is a government that includes Kahanists, a government that gives a tailwind to Jewish terrorism, fuels racism and hatred. A government that is disconnected from the people, abandons the periphery and robs young people of hope for a better future. I am running to offer a different path: a democratic, equal and just Israel, in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence,” Dabush declares.