Reacting to the Commentaries On the blog: The Demise of Israel

Two blogs ago, I wrote about the demise of Israel and received strong criticism, calling me a defeatist, claiming that I do not trust the Jewish capability to survive, etc.

So far, I have never responded to comments because each comment would require a long blog to explain my position better, and I simply do not have the time. However, due to the importance of this subject, I am breaking my practice this time.

One comment claimed that I am too pessimistic: “We will survive, do not worry. Am Israel Hai. Have faith. We survived the Pharaoh, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust; we will survive Hamas too.”

My response: You are equating the Jewish people with the State of Israel. The Jewish people will survive (but not thanks to the secular Jews—thanks to the Orthodox Jews). While the Jewish people will survive, the same cannot be said for the state. States can be conquered and destroyed. Those telling me, “Do not worry,” do not provide any rational explanation for how Israel, as a state, will survive if it continues down the path it is on.

Let me clarify what I mean by the “demise” of Israel. I did not mean to say that it will be conquered and disappear from the world map as a state or that the UN will expel it from the family of nations. Israel has nuclear armaments (supposedly a secret), which act as a deterrent against any country overcoming Israel, conquering it, and leading to Israel ceasing to exist. Even after Iran finishes developing its nuclear arsenal, both countries will be careful not to trigger a nuclear war (unless some hot-headed, irrational leader, decides to start one which is not totally improbable).

Israel, as a country, will continue to exist. The “demise” I refer to is that it will cease to exist as we know it. It will be hard to live in Israel. It will be under nonstop attack from terrorism from the north, east, and south. October 7 may just be a prelude to what could be the future. That is the “demise” I am talking about.

I foresee this demise scenario if the current strategy of not allowing a Palestinian state to emerge continues, or if a Palestinian state is established without sufficient precautions to prevent it from becoming hostile, as Gaza has. If the current occupation of Palestinians continues, the ongoing terrorism will cause many Israelis to leave. It will be the productive part of society—those engaged in economic affairs and serving in the defense forces—who will leave. The Orthodox Jews, who do not serve in the army, and the Messianic Jews, for religious reasons, whose actions feed the mutual hatred that fuels terrorism, will remain. The result will be a much weaker and more vulnerable Israel.

There is hope. There is a way out of this upsetting, speculative prediction, but for that, a change of mindset is critical and needed, because peace cannot be reached through war. It may bring temporary peace, but the losing party’s desire to revolt at the first opportunity and restart the war will persist. Only through peace-seeking efforts can we achieve lasting peace.

After WWI, Germany was punished with reparations, which brought the Nazis to power and led to WWII. The Marshall Plan was an act of peace, and guess what? Germany changed its orientation and behavior, transforming from a foe into an ally. The same happened with Japan.

I have suggested in my videos and blogs that Israel, together with the Palestinian authorities—or whoever among the Palestinians seeks peace—should partner to implement a Marshall Plan in the Palestinian state that needs to be established. They should also create a common police force with Israel to prevent terrorist actions by clans on both sides. Additionally, there should be an agreement by both sides on what the schools should teach in order to foster mutual respect and trust. This should not be a hostile divorce but a friendly separation.

I can already imagine the comments I will receive: “You are a dreamer,” “There is no one on the other side to work with,” “The Palestinians are animals,” or “The only solution is to beat the hell out of them, so they learn their lesson and seek peace.”
My response: Granted, my peace solution is very, very hard—if it is even possible to implement. But I have no better solution. Continuing to fight as we are now doing will destroy both nations. At least we should try a totally new approach. ( “But we tried it with Gaza when we left Gaza. We even provided funds for their rehabilitation. And see what happened.” A commentary I expect.)   That was a separation without establishing a cultural economic partnership. We just abandoned them to deal with their problem.

Despite its deficiencies, my solution is the only one I can think of that could potentially bring peace. I am sure there are other solutions. The common denominator for them all should be the necessity of changing the mindset of revenge, of killing as many of the other side as possible. That mindset will only lead to the self-destruction of both nations.

There is, of course, the issue of implementation. There is zero chance that a peace-seeking solution will be accepted by the present government, and, as far as we can see, they are not giving up their power to rule the country until the next elections.
A year and a half is a long time, and with the present Israeli mindset, the situation will continue to worsen. I have serious doubts whether a peace-seeking solution will have any chance by then.

I suggested during my visit to Israel and in my blogs that the opposition should unite and establish a shadow cabinet. This cabinet should use the time they are not running the country to develop a new vision for Israel as a democratic Jewish state and come to conclusions about the solution to the Palestinian problem. They should use this year and a half constructively, share their vision and solution, and build a movement around it. In the next election, I suppose this group will be elected, and they will have a plan of action ready for implementation.

In the meantime, it will give the people of Israel some hope that there could be light at the end of the tunnel.