National Suicide or National Redemption?
“When you’ve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth,” Sherlock Holmes
“Redemption is simply making a change in your life and striving to do right, rather than continuing to do wrong.” – Ice T
“By acting as if a Palestinian state is on the horizon, we perpetuate the illusion that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land is temporary. Invoking two states helps European countries — and the Democratic Party — justify their support for Israel even as they condemn starvation in Gaza. If we believe in two states, we can believe in a future where Israel is both Jewish and democratic, and thus worthy of liberal support. If that future is never coming, then talk of two states is an alibi, not an aspiration.” Michelle Goldberg, New York Times 8 Sep, 2025
“If no one is against you, you are not saying anything.” Rabbi Nachman from Bratslav [the 18th-century Hasidic leader]
Israel has become hopelessly entangled in an endless war with the Palestinians that has raged for over a century, resulting in the tragic loss of tens of thousands of lives on both sides. The only apparent path to redemption for the state of Israel was the promise of future separation from the Palestinians through the implementation of a two-state solution. However, this vision has been overshadowed and destroyed by October 7, the settlements in the West Bank, the devastation in Gaza, and the expansionist ambitions of Israel’s right-wing government. Very few adult Israeli Jews are ready to support the existence of a Palestinian state alongside a Jewish state. According to a Pew Survey conducted in 2025, only 16% of Israeli Jewish adults believe that Israel and a Palestinian state can coexist peacefully. Moreover, less than half of all Israelis (47%) strongly commit to their government’s efforts towards a lasting peace.
If a two-state solution is not feasible, only three options remain:
- The continuation of the current status quo will inevitably lead to a prolonged and deteriorating conflict with the accelerated deterioration of Israel’s worldwide status. This approach is clearly unsustainable in the medium to long term.
- Mass expulsion of Jews or Palestinians is highly unlikely. As Jews hold the superior position of military power, a forced expulsion of millions of Jews is improbable. However, a forced expulsion of millions of Palestinians by an extremist right-wing Israeli government is a possibility. Recent polls show that an alarmingly large majority of Israeli Jews support the expulsion of millions of Palestinians. This would lead to pariah status, losing support from virtually every country worldwide, and sanctions and visa restrictions. Moreover, it would result in the loss of American financial and military support, along with the loss of Israeli military superiority. While Israel could push through pariah status and the loss of American support, it would become a poorer, less secure country with the resulting flight and emigration of those who could.
- Recognizing the current truth that Israel is a binational state is crucial. There is a single sovereign ruling over all the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Every military checkpoint, road closure, and traffic sign serves as a clear reminder of this fact. Continued extensive construction of housing, roads, and all the necessary infrastructure demonstrates the intention to maintain a permanent Israeli civilian, military, and governmental presence in the West Bank. This is further reinforced by the growing demands from within the government for annexation. The reality is that there is currently one undemocratic state between Jordan and the Mediterranean—a single state controlled by a Jewish minority. Implementing a formal single-state solution would lead to shared power between Jews and Palestinians.
From 1967 until October 7, there was a prevalent Israeli assumption that the conflict could be managed indefinitely or until a two-state solution was achieved, leading to separation from the Palestinians. However, this assumption ended on October 7, and no new possibilities have emerged.
In my opinion, neither the continuation of the status quo nor mass expulsion is realistic, achievable, or a recipe for success. The only viable option, the redemption of the state of Israel, is only possible through a single-state solution with shared power. However, many Jewish Israelis view the prospect of a single state as national suicide. But, is this really national suicide?
Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the lack of a settlement with the Palestinians. There’s a fantasy that when he leaves office or is defeated, Israel will revert to its past politics and a government will emerge that will negotiate a settlement with the Palestinians, resulting in a two-state solution. However, Netanyahu’s continued survival and success demonstrate that he represents the Israeli mainstream, as evidenced by his ability to garner support and govern for the past two decades.
The absence of a long-term solution has resulted in the most dire consequences for both Israelis and Palestinians. This has led to mass slaughter, loss of life, and a deteriorating international reputation for Israel. It has also provided an excuse for antisemitic attacks worldwide and has raised the prospect of looming sanctions against Israel. In fact, rather than serving as a haven for Jews in crisis, as intended, Israel has become the most dangerous place for Jews globally. More Jews are killed in Israel annually than in the rest of the world combined. Ehud Olmert, Israel’s former prime minister, recently wrote in Haaretz that the current situation in Gaza is characterized by indiscriminate, limitless, cruel, and criminal killing of civilians. This is not due to loss of control in any specific sector or disproportionate actions by soldiers in a particular unit. Instead, it is the result of government policy, knowingly, evilly, maliciously, and irresponsibly dictated. In my opinion, Israel is indeed committing war crimes.
One cannot view the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean as only Jewish land that should be solely for Jewish dominion. It is equally the land of two peoples with equally legitimate rights and aspirations. Some may argue that sharing the land is the end of Zionism. However, I believe that nothing lasts forever, and there is no inherent reason why Zionism should endure indefinitely.
Zionism succeeded very much in establishing a state from scratch, but as a political, cultural ideology, it has failed to resolve the tensions created when there are 21 percent non-Jews in Israel. And now with the de facto annexation of the West Bank, there are another 30 percent non-Jews in Gaza and the West Bank, leading to the current status of slightly less than 50 percent Jews in the whole area. It’s time to shelve Zionism as it does not meet the needs of more than 40% of the residents and is an ideology whose time has come to cease. I am not against Israel, but we need to consider the future of the country beyond Zionism, to create a secure prosperous livable democracy for all its inhabitants. That is the true challenge.
If the only reasonable solution is the creation of a binational state then what would it look like and how would one guarantee the safety of Israeli Jews fearful of being killed or having to flee in any new dispensation? This is even more so when we look at the many failed attempts at a binational state worldwide. The question then, very simply becomes “What is to happen with the more than 7 million Jews who live in Israel today?”. How is one to recognize and cater to the very legitimate fears of Jewish Israelis when they look at Lebanon, remember the Holocaust, and continue to feel the trauma of October 7?
The fundamentalist Zionist myth that Arabs and Jews are so different (which usually implies that Arabs are inferior) that they cannot live together has been further exacerbated and intensified by October 7, leading Jews to despair that it is impossible to live with another people who only want to kill Jews. Intense, violent anti-Jewish feeling is further fueled when Jews deny democracy and civil rights to others while keeping them in a state of inferiority and living in the same land that they claim belongs exclusively to Jews. The majority of Jews lived in Arab countries until 500 years ago. In Israel today, over a million of its Jewish citizens originate from the Muslim countries of the Middle East and North Africa and many call themselves Arab Jews. Essentially, apart from cultural and religious differences, the two groups have more in common than separates them.
It’s insulting to Israelis in general and the politicians in particular to assume that they are helpless and unable to negotiate a settlement with the Palestinians that would guarantee the safety and special status of Jews in a new political arrangement. It’s insulting to think that the innovative thinkers of the startup nation cannot find a creative way to settle the conflict with suitable guarantees for all. It’s insulting to all involved in the conflict to assume that a majority political dispensation would result in a fundamentalist theocracy ala Iran. It’s insulting to think that this is a zero-sum game where it’s either Jewish supremacy or Muslim supremacy with the worst possible outcome either way.
In short, it’s just plain insulting to every Israeli to think that a creative solution cannot be found for an equitable sharing of the land.
The alternative to a single, secular democratic state, of all its citizens, is a continuation of the status quo— a forever war fueled by religion and fundamentalism. While there currently appears to be no prospect for a peaceful settlement, a resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict, one can only hope that at some time in the near future more rational and less fundamentalist leaders will emerge who will negotiate a single state settlement that will enable all parties to live securely in peace and prosperity.
