In February 1997, four residents of the north who were mothers of soldiers then serving in Lebanon established a protest movement called “Four Mothers.” The movement was created following a helicopter collision that killed 73 soldiers on their way to the security corridor north of the border. The shock from the accident sparked a vast wave of anger over the fact that the Israeli government hadn’t fulfilled its promise to withdraw from Lebanon. It brought about the creation of one of the most significant protest movements in the history of the country.
The women who established the movement were not high-ranking officers in the military. They were not combatants; they had no expertise in military or security issues. Their significant connection to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was their being mothers of soldiers in compulsory service. They understood that their concern for the safety of their sons was powerful and legitimate enough a force to motivate a large protest movement.
