The Question that Matters Most

As an Israeli living in New York City, I’m constantly asked “So, are you a Zionist?” I hear it from both the left and the right. One side chants “From the river to the sea,” the other “Am Yisrael Chai,” and neither seems to be listening.

This dynamic was on full display in last week’s New York Democratic primaries, where Israel was a defining feature. Whatever you think about the outcomes, it’s clear this discourse is stuck in a pro-or-anti Israel binary. And it’s not helpful.

I know I’ve only lived here for a few months, but I am clear that this conversation—whether Israel is right or wrong, good or bad—is not only taking up too much space in American politics, it’s not promoting progress for the actual people whose lives are at stake.

Just a few weeks ago, I spoke with California State Senator Scott Wiener, who attended NIF’s Guardian of Democracy Gala in San Francisco. He’s been attacked by some in the Jewish community for his condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza and, on the other hand, has experienced antisemitic harassment for being insufficiently critical of Israel.

This kind of zero-sum thinking is deeply misguided and destructive. All it does is put up barriers between people and flatten the entire discourse into identity terms and labels. Most importantly, it prevents us from working towards what the conflict so desperately needs: a solution.

We need real policies, plans, and commitments. We need to address growing settler terrorism in the West Bank head-on. We need to pull Israel back from the brink of authoritarian rule. We need real security for all the peoples of the Middle East. We need peace.

Here’s the good news: there are many Israelis and Palestinians already doing this work. They’re not hard to find. What sets them apart is simple—they refuse to accept a single label, identity marker, or narrative. They don’t see pro-Israel and pro-Palestine as opposing sides; they understand that our fates are intertwined. These activists and leaders can hold both stories, even when they contradict one another.

That’s what we must demand of our elected leaders. Don’t ask which side someone is on. Ask how they plan to advance peace and partnership and bring Palestinians and Israelis closer together. We need leaders who speak of solidarity and hope, not engage in semantics that divide people. The only viable, moral position should be a commitment to solving this conflict, not winning it.

Simplistic virtue signaling gets us nowhere. Because here’s the simple truth: There are two peoples between the river and the sea, and neither of us are going anywhere.

That leaves one question worth our most imaginative, strategic thinking: how do we bring this conflict to an end? That’s a harder question than any slogan, chant, or hashtag. But it’s the only one that matters.