Gideon Sa’ar, the Oslo Accords, and the Election That Will Determine Israel’s Future

On Monday evening, I had the privilege of attending a gathering in Or Akiva with Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, as a representative of the Likud movement in Zichron Yaakov.

Those of us in attendance were deeply impressed by the Foreign Minister. His command of history, his understanding of Israel’s political realities, and his clear assessment of the challenges facing our country made the evening particularly meaningful.

But one observation stood out above everything else. It was an observation about the Oslo Accords, the political circumstances that made them possible, and the consequences that Israel continues to confront more than three decades later.

And it made me realize just how critical the coming elections are to the future of the State of Israel.

The Lesson of Oslo

Foreign Minister Sa’ar drew our attention to the political circumstances surrounding the Oslo Accords. The central issue was not simply the ideology of the Israeli left. It was the parliamentary arithmetic that allowed the Oslo process to advance.

Following the 1992 elections, Yitzhak Rabin formed a government with Labor, Meretz, and Shas. When Shas subsequently left the coalition, Rabin’s government became dependent on outside parliamentary support, including that of Arab parties, to maintain its majority.

That political reality became especially significant during the Oslo process. The lesson I took from Sa’ar’s remarks was unmistakable: The composition of a government can determine the destiny of an entire nation.

A different parliamentary majority might have prevented Oslo from advancing as it did.

And consider the consequences. The terrorism, the suicide bombings, the thousands of Israeli families shattered by decades of violence, and the security challenges that followed the Oslo process are part of a history we cannot afford to ignore.

Not every tragedy can be attributed exclusively to Oslo. But the decisions made during that period fundamentally changed Israel’s security and political landscape.

Sa’ar’s historical analysis raised a question that should concern every Israeli voter:

What happens when political calculations produce a government whose decisions may endanger the long-term security of the Jewish state?

I Come From the Left — But Not Today’s Left

There is something important that I want my readers to understand. I come from the Israeli left. Not the contemporary left, but the Zionist left of 1948.

My family belongs to the generation of David Ben-Gurion, the Haganah, and the Palmach. These were men and women who fought for the establishment of a sovereign Jewish state long before its existence could be taken for granted.

They were socialists. They were labor Zionists. They believed in social justice, national responsibility, Jewish sovereignty, and the right of the Jewish people to defend themselves.

My father was part of that generation.

And I am proud of that heritage. But I have come to believe that the political left of today is no longer the left of Ben-Gurion.

Indeed, I would argue that many of the positions held by the founding generation of Labor Zionism would today be characterized by some as belonging to the nationalist right.

Imagine Ben-Gurion being told that the Jewish character of the state must be subordinated to political arrangements that could jeopardize its security.

Imagine the Palmach generation being told that the survival of a government was more important than the survival of the nation.

These were people who understood that without a secure Jewish state, every other political ideal would become meaningless.

The left of 1948 understood that Jewish sovereignty was not negotiable.

I believe those values must be defended under the realities of today.

This Is Not an Ordinary Election

What struck me most during Foreign Minister Sa’ar’s presentation was the relevance of that historical lesson to the coming elections.

Israel is not facing ordinary political circumstances.

October 7 changed everything.

Israel has confronted threats across seven fronts, from Gaza and Lebanon to Iran and its regional allies.

We are facing enemies who do not merely disagree with our policies. They challenge our very right to exist as a sovereign Jewish nation.

Under these circumstances, the question of who forms the next government is not simply a matter of economic policy, social programs, or political personalities.

It is a question of national survival.

We can debate taxation.

We can debate education.

We can debate the relationship between religion and state.

We can debate the direction of Israeli society.

Those debates are essential to a functioning democracy.

But first, we must ensure that there is a secure State of Israel in which those debates can continue.

That is the overriding priority of this election.

First Secure Israel. Then Debate Its Future.

There is a time for ideological disagreement, and there is a time for national unity around the most fundamental responsibility of government: protecting the nation.

For me, this election is about ensuring that Israel has the leadership, the parliamentary majority, and the determination necessary to confront the threats before us.

I believe that means supporting Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud.

That does not mean every decision made by Netanyahu has been correct. Nor does it mean that the Likud is beyond criticism.

No political leader and no political party should ever be beyond criticism in a democracy.

But elections require us to make choices based on the circumstances confronting us.

And the circumstances today are extraordinary.

Four years from now, in the next electoral cycle, we can revisit the many competing visions for Israel’s political, social, and economic future.

But right now, our first responsibility is to secure that future.

Because without security, there can be no prosperity.

Without sovereignty, there can be no national independence.

And without a strong Jewish state, the great Zionist achievement of 1948 is placed at risk.

The Warning From History

I left the gathering in Or Akiva with a renewed appreciation for the importance of political responsibility.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar did more than offer a historical explanation of Oslo.

He reminded us that elections have consequences that can last for generations.

The parliamentary decisions of yesterday become the national realities of tomorrow.

We cannot change the political decisions of 1992 or 1993.

We cannot undo the suffering that followed.

But we can learn from history.

And we can refuse to treat the next election as though it were simply another contest between political personalities.

For someone like me, whose family helped fight for the establishment of Israel, this is not an abstract political argument.

It is personal.

The generation of 1948 gave us a Jewish state.

Our responsibility is to ensure that future generations inherit one.

In 1948, the question was whether we could establish a Jewish state. In 2026, the question is how we ensure its security and survival.That is why I believe this election must be approached with a seriousness that transcends ordinary party politics.We can argue about the direction of Israel in the years ahead.But first, we must make certain that Israel remains strong enough, secure enough, and sovereign enough for those arguments to matter.

First, we secure the future of Israel.

Then, we can debate the future direction of Israel.