Israel: the long road back.
Can Israel regain the admiration of a bewildered world?
After almost two years of disheartening stories, one could be forgiven for believing Israel has truly lost its way. It was, thus, a ray of hope when I read these words from Alon Chen, President of the Weizmann Institute of Science, following the destruction of 60 laboratories by two Iranian missiles:
“Let me be clear: our institute shares values with many Iranians, including those Iranian scientists living outside Iran with whom we collaborate on life-saving and life-sustaining research. I look forward to the day when Israeli scientists can freely collaborate with scientists in Iran and do good for the region and for humanity. I wish the same for scientists in Gaza and throughout the Middle East.
“This blow comes after 20 months of war in Gaza and southern Lebanon, following the attacks of 7 October 2023 on Israel by Hamas. We continue to grieve the loss of life on both sides. We remain deeply distressed by the ongoing war in Gaza, the hostage crisis and the Palestinian humanitarian crisis.
“Over the course of history and the many wars in our region, science has endured. We at Weizmann are facing challenges head-on and continuing in our mission as we always have: by advancing science that protects and sustains life, and doing so through international collaboration with colleagues regardless of their identity or nationality.”
This is the Israel I so admired. It was heartening to see that, while the light has been obscured, it has not been extinguished. There is still hope that it will shine brightly again.
But what a long road lies ahead!
The biblical ruthlessness with which Israel has respond to the 7 October atrocity caught many people by surprise — perhaps even Hamas. The phrase, “the most Jews killed in a day since the Holocaust”, doesn’t come close to justifying the fury of the counterattack. October the 7th didn’t last even twenty four hours; the Holocaust played out over 3000 days! The ongoing onslaught on Gaza has claimed 50-fold more victims than the original attack.
Enough already!
Having dealt severe blows to its enemies North, East, and South, the paramount thrust of Israel policy must now be restoring Israel’s reputation internationally. It has never been lower. PM Netanyahu is constitutionally incapable of addressing this challenge. Israel needs a new government, yesterday.
It is an open question whether the Israel body politic has the wherewithal to change course. World is watching — hoping against hope.
