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The Zionist Dream Is Threatened From Within.

Here's What Israel Must Do to


Save It.
Next year, Israel will mark landmark anniversaries of some of its greatest
political, diplomatic and military milestones. It's time for the reasonable
majority to reject the people and forces bringing calamity upon us.

A celebration in Tel Aviv after the UN declares plans for the partition of Israel
and Palestine, November 30,1947.Jim Pringle, AP
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The State of Israel is a miracle. No other people has accomplished what we
have: rebuilding a national home after 2,000 years. No other democracy has
succeeded in flourishing like we have: under a volcano. Despite myriad obstacles
and difficulties, vulnerabilities and shortcomings the Zionist dream has been
achieved. The people of Israel live, and the State of Israel thrives. Our sons
and daughters have what our great-grandparents could only yearn for:
sovereignty, liberty and progress. As an economic, technological and military
powerhouse, Israel of the 21st century is a resilient, energetic nation that can
choose its own course, make its own way forward.
Sadly, regrettably, it is not doing so. Israel has lost its compass. Instead of
advancing toward the future, it lists toward the past. Instead of breaking
through, it dithers. Instead of fostering harmony, fraternity and fealty, it is
mired in rancor, strife and fury.

Our army is the strongest in the Middle East but we do not feel secure. Our
economy is one of the leading economies in the world but we dont feel well-off.
We are dependent on one another but we lack a sense of togetherness. Our
heritage is a heritage of virtue but we are plagued by prejudice, xenophobia,
self-hatred and sometimes even racism. The brotherly bond that was at the
heart of the nation has broken. The mutual responsibility we felt toward one
another has eroded. A growing economic divide, alongside intensifying tribal and
political fissures, has plunged Israel into a deep internal crisis. The Israeli
republic is under attack, the Israeli democracy is under siege.
The State of Israel was founded by courageous, unflinching men and women, who
recognized the dangers of divisiveness, discord and discouragement. In the
worst situations, in the most trying hours, they did not stray from the path.
They exuded self-confidence and kept a cool head. They believed in the Jewish
people and in its ability to do the impossible. They believed in Israelis and in
their ability to succeed against all odds.
The fathers and mothers of Zionism were well aware of the cruel world that
surrounds us. And they understood that in order to survive in this region, we had
to build a powerful nation, with a decisive Jewish majority, that could guarantee
the national rights of the Jewish people within a democratic framework. They
knew we must maintain an irrepressible and vigorous Jewish democratic state,
whose core values are liberty, equality, solidarity and justice. They insisted we
have the sovereignty and force required to define and defend our borders.
Binational threat
But today, Israel is growing more and more distant from the historic Zionist
vision, from the age-old Zionist wisdom. Today, Israel is slouching toward a
binational state, where Jews will soon become a minority with no borders to
protect us from our adversaries. Israels identity as a Jewish, democratic nation
is fraying.
Because of its phenomenal success and extraordinary power, many of the
dangers that once loomed over the State of Israel have disappeared. There is no
longer a Syrian army that can invade the Golan Heights and menace the Galilee.
There is no longer a hostile Egyptian army that can cross the Sinai Desert and
threaten the Negev. No Iraqi missiles can rain down on Tel Aviv, and no coalition
of Arab armies can maneuver across the Jordan River and advance toward
Jerusalem. Thanks to the Israel Defense Forces, the Shin Bet security service,
the Mossad, the defense industries and the Dimona nuclear reactor our
security has never been more robust. Thanks to our strategic alliance with the

United States and our nascent alliances with China, India and some of the Arab
states our diplomatic situation is sound.
But just when it seems that we have achieved our goals and assured our survival,
Israel faces a new twofold existential challenge: The weakening of the nationstate and the fragmentation of society tear us apart from within, while the
encroaching reality of a binational state endangers our very foundations. After
withstanding countless wars and overcoming countless enemies, after doing so
many wonders indecision and infighting are imperiling the future of the Zionist
enterprise.
Time is running out. If the settlement process continues, by 2025, some
700,000 settlers will live in Judea and Samaria, and it will no longer be possible
to separate Israel from the Palestinians. Life without separation life in close
quarters with supporters of Hamas and the Islamic State will, sooner or later,
become untenable. If the diplomatic deadlock continues, in a decades time, the
international community will most probably turn its back on us, and Israel will
become an ostracized nation. With no foreign investments and no meaningful
exports, life will become miserable and bleak.

The Mevo Shiloh army base in the West Bank, which was abandoned, taken over
illegally by settlers and later evacuated. Emil Salman
If the internal divide continues, over time, the pillars that are still holding up
our society will disintegrate, our state institutions will falter and Israeli
nationhood will evanesce. The ongoing chaos that is laying waste to our neighbors
will engulf us and destroy our hard-won diplomatic stability and enviable quality

of life. Continuing on this road means that in the years to come, we will no longer
have a horizon of hope. The crisis may be graver than any weve experienced
since 1948: Waves of terror and international sanctions may very well upend a
nation whose identity has been shattered, a nation that has lost its way.
Should we despair? Absolutely not. Should we despond? Definitely not. Our
history is littered with adversity: We have transcended so many hardships to
build our national home. We have persevered through persecution, humiliation
and degradation and the harrowing human cataclysm of the Holocaust. Even
amid a dark thicket of thorns, we did not give up. Even when the walls were
closing in, we did not surrender. We are a steadfast people, dogged and
determined. If we overcame the vagaries of the past, we can certainly overcome
the challenges we now face. Though the new challenges are existential, they are
not greater than we are. Though the mission is enormous, it is not a mission
impossible. If we band together, the binational threat can be thwarted. It must
be thwarted. There is no other way.
A sane majority
Both the right and the left have made mistakes. The right hasnt always
understood that ruling over another people is an anti-national act that
jeopardizes our very nation. The left hasnt always understood that in the
militant, fanatical Middle East, there cannot be a Scandinavian peace. Instead of
facing this complicated, onerous reality together, the right chose to blame the
left, and the left chose to blame the right. The result is debilitating internal
enmity. And the result is that small groups of extremists have hijacked the
national agenda, taken control of government, and are leading Israel toward the
abyss.
But the Israeli majority is not foolish, nor is it gullible. It knows that we are
surrounded by enemies. It knows that our power derives from our cohesiveness,
sagacity and decency. It rejects messianic ideas and messianic leaders and
understands that it cannot allow villainy to rule the day. The Israeli majority
doesnt want war. It doesnt want reckless adventures or perilous wagers.
The Israeli majority loves Israel and is proud of Israel and wants Israel to
serve its citizens and nurture its young and attend to their future. The Israeli
majority wants a benign democracy. So it is high time the Israeli majority said
no to extremism no to acrimony, no to provocation, no to politics run amok. It is
high time the Israeli majority rejected those people and those forces bringing
calamity upon us.
The Israeli condition is unique. When we returned to the land of our ancestors,
we found ourselves in the worst neighborhood in the world, surrounded by

despotism, extremism, tribalism and brutality. We decided not to be like our


neighbors. In this dangerous region, where yet another appalling human
catastrophe is now taking place, we succeeded in creating an oasis of liberty. We
built a nation whose values and capabilities are no less impressive than those of
the United States, Canada or Holland. We forged a rich, diverse and creative
society that garners more scientific patents and brings more children into the
world than any other advanced society.

Syrians evacuate an injured man amid the rubble of destroyed buildings


following a reported airstrike, Aleppo, Syria, April 29, 2016.Ameer Alhalbi, AFP
We managed to do this because the Israeli individual is resourceful and selfpossessed. We managed to do this because the Israeli spirit is bold, enterprising
and inventive. Being one big family warm and dynamic we have cleared
innumerable hurdles in pursuit of the Israeli miracle. One immense problem
persists: the continuing abasement of Israeli politics, which has long ceased to
reflect the bright, compassionate face of Israeli society.
Recovering the Israeli spirit
The year 2017 will mark five historic events: the 120th anniversary of the first
Zionist Congress; the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration; the 70th
anniversary of the United Nations resolution to establish a Jewish state in the
Land of Israel; the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War; and the 40th
anniversary of the rapprochement with Egypt.
The first Zionist Congress succeeded because Theodor Herzl had the courage to
dream big. The Balfour Declaration was issued because of Chaim Weizmanns

combination of diplomatic sophistication and universal morality. The UN vote


came to pass and the State of Israel came to be because David Ben-Gurion
had the vision to combine forcefulness with fairness, single-mindedness with
level-headedness. The Six-Day War ended in overwhelming victory because
Yitzhak Rabins army was resolute, masterful and, for the most part, honorable.
The peace agreement with Egypt was reached because the liberal-national
leader Menachem Begin understood that a secure Israel is better than a
greater Israel.

Israelis watch an air show during Independence Day in Tel Aviv, Tuesday, May 6,
2014.AP
Ironically, in recent decades, while Israels economic and military circumstances
have improved markedly, its political leadership has forsaken the unique Israeli
spirit that shepherded the stunning achievements of 1897, 1947, 1967 and 1977.
The gap between Israels remarkable individual capabilities the richness of its
society and the failures of its shambolic political body has become an
intolerable chasm.
In the months leading to 2017, we must rediscover the Israeli spirit. We mustnt
lose hope, sink into cynicism, or lapse into despair. Every Israeli family has
traveled such a long, arduous road to the homeland from Baghdad and Cairo,
Casablanca and Warsaw, Moscow and Budapest. Each and every one of us has
invested so much and received so much from the unique country we have
created.

Israel is a land of seemingly limitless human treasures and lodes of goodwill.


Israel is a small nation, whose small number of dedicated people can make a real
difference, enact real change. If we stand together, shoulder to shoulder, we
can save the Jewish democratic state. If we stand together, shoulder to
shoulder, we can renew our sense of nationhood, secure our sovereignty and at
long last define our borders. With a loving heart and a common purpose, we can
return Israel to its rightful role an admirable, enlightened nation.
Ari Shavit
Haaretz Correspondent
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