It’s not as bad as you make it seem

“We should carpet bomb Gaza and ignore the civilian casualties because the Arabs are the modern incarnation of our Biblical enemy Amelek.” This sentiment was delivered as part of a Friday night sermon towards the beginning of the Israel Gaza war. Statements such as this may come as a shock to some, but in my neighborhood it’s nothing new. My family and I live over the green-line, 20 minutes south of Jerusalem, in the town of Efrat. Our home is part of the larger area known as Judea and Samaria which people, incorrectly, call the West Bank. We are what many around the world call “settlers”.

But like any society, ours is not a monolith. We have people whose beliefs run the gamut, from politically left to far right, although most find themselves somewhere in between. What’s amazing about our town is even with these disparate views, we live together in harmony. Crime is almost nonexistent and the closest thing we have to violence is when some storm out of sermons like the one above in protest. Yes, we have our arguments, but overall, there’s something euphoric about the community we’ve built here.

Where I live was a topic of conversation in a recent article entitled, “We’re watching Israel self-destruct — at the hands of its own leaders and citizens” written by Dan Perry. The piece depicts the present State of Israel as so utterly dismal that there’s little hope for the future of Zionism. Perry spends time outlining many of the major challenges Israel faces and since I don’t agree with his analysis, it’s worthwhile discussing the thesis point by point.

Israel is not self-destructing. As with any country, we have our problems but these doomsday predictions are unproductive and inaccurate. Like most modern liberals, Perry details the problems while offering no solutions. His main point of contention is Prime Minister Netanyahu. He, like many on the left in Israel, desperately wants a regime change. He chalks most of our problems up to the steward at the helm.

There are certain aspects of Perry’s piece that I agree with. I too am uncomfortable with Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir being part of the present coalition. Much of their rhetoric is at least counter-productive, if not outright dangerous. But their language and even their actions did not cause our present situation. Oct. 7 was in the works for years prior to their ascension to government. But I agree that it would be beneficial for the country to have new leadership in the next election cycle.

However, the issues we face in the Knesset exist because the system is broken. The challenge of building and keeping a coalition is what causes such people to come into and retain the power they have. In an ideal future, this governmental structure would be replaced by a democratic system unencumbered by the whims of individuals who can topple the administration at any time.

That being said, there is no one better to weather the storm of the war that has been thrust upon us than Netanyahu. For the past four years, specifically the last year and a half, Israel’s security has been paramount. There is no other politician who would have stood up to the pressures of the Biden administration quite like he did. And that will likely prove more valuable as time goes on.

The claim that PM Netenyahu has intentionally entrenched us in a “forever war” is an understandable reaction to the present conflict. After all, this is the land of the Six Day War and our present count has well surpassed 400 days. The citizens of Israel are struggling with an identity crisis because our military prowess has been called into question. But the fruits of our labor are just beginning to be realized. The balance of power in the Middle East is shifting in our favor on almost a daily basis. The Prime Minister’s goal of neutralizing Iran is closer now than it’s ever been before.

Perry makes the rightful claim that annexing Judea and Samaria without granting citizenship to the Arabs would create a de facto apartheid state. His conclusion is that the only viable option is a two-state solution. This I tend to agree with; however, there is still a major problem. Perry merely states this goal without realizing of who he’s talking to, or more importantly, who he’s not talking to. Although this may sound trite, there are no negotiating partners on the other side. It’s not as if this solution hasn’t been rejected time and time again. Simply stating this desire does not make it any closer to a reality.

The Hareidim are a problem. There’s no getting around it. The majority of them behave like children when it comes to entering the workforce and serving in the army. You’d be hard pressed to find someone outside of their community who is happy with the present situation. But depleted the already weakened military by not sending our children to serve on philosophical grounds is pure suicide. We need to convince the Ultra-Orthodox to serve and if that fails then it must be governmentally mandated.

I’ve often been asked why I live in the settlements. In Dan Perry’s eyes, and those like him, I’m here to burn down olive fields and steal Arab land. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are many reasons why one chooses to live in this region. Some are here on philosophical grounds, such as “this is our land, we should settle it” or “we must provide a buffer for those who seek to kill us” (which we do). Others have been forced here by the housing crisis because it’s all they can afford. While still others, like myself, dream of living alongside our cousins in peace. Granted the dream is failing right now.

Hundreds of Arabs from the adjacent village used to enter Efrat daily for work. The rabbi of our town was close friends with the mufti of theirs. But those days seem like a distant memory now. Almost no Arab workers are allowed to enter anymore. And after what happened in the Gaza Envelope last year, who would blame us? I don’t believe Arabs are the modern-day Amalek. But this hunkering down is a logical reaction to the trauma we endured.

Do we have internal issues in Israel? Of course. No country is devoid of them. But is our future as grim as Perry paints it? No. Not even our present, in the midst of a seven-front-war, is so grim. I can see a better world in the not too distant future where terrorism, the largest stumbling block to the Zionist project, will be grossly reduced. That will actually allow for regime changes that Perry so desperately desires.

When that day comes, the only issue we will have to face is how to not go back to the pre-Oct 7 infighting which so divided us. But focusing so heavily inward and blaming all of our problems on the present administration — while completely ignoring the enemies at our doorstep — not only ruins our future but it destroys our present.