It is difficult to pinpoint a moment of sincerity in Israel’s current political leadership, which has largely wrapped itself in slogans in the hope that they will hide the dark truths of our lives.
But two weeks ago we witnessed a rare moment of candor when Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in an extraordinary confessional, told an audience of heads of Jewish Local Councils in the West Bank that “the risk of a Palestinian state becoming a reality is clearer than it has been in years.”
Smotrich’s words were bereft of any reflection on the fact that the government of which he is a key partner, known as the “far-right regime,” is the very one that has brought us to the doorstep of the very Palestinian state he warned about.
The fight for peace
As someone who truly believes that a Palestinian state must be the first and foremost goal of any Zionist regime, I have always heard statements like “Only the right can bring peace.” At least, that seemed to be true when Likud Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the peace treaty with Egypt. I thought this idea only applied to responsible right-wing leaders like Begin and Sharon in his later years. But now it is a far-right coalition that is pushing the idea of a Palestinian state against their will.
Ironically, in this case, the radical slogan “things have to get really bad before they get better” seems to have been proven right. Thus, the worst regime we have experienced under the “far-right” regime that caused the October 7 disaster, which many would even say was “directly caused by their negligence,” has brought the whole world to the realization that there is no other option than the establishment of a Palestinian state.
This is the only way to create an alternative to Hamas in Gaza, achieve Israel’s normalization in the region, and bring regional and international stability.
Smotrich is right: Netanyahu’s government is at an impasse on both security and diplomatic fronts, and the only way out is to pursue Palestinian statehood.
Netanyahu, Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Bengvir have succeeded where Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak failed, in showing the world how essential a Palestinian state is, not only to meet the Palestinian aspiration for self-determination but also as the only option to stabilize the region in terms of security and diplomacy. They have made it very clear that a Palestinian state is not only a Palestinian goal but also a primary Israeli interest.
Prime Minister Netanyahu ignores the possibility of a Palestinian state, which is the only way out of the pointless war he has gotten us into.
Faced with the government’s failure to act in the diplomatic sphere, Israel, the countries of the region, and the free world at large have only two options: total Israeli conquest of Gaza, including full civilian and military control, with disastrous security and economic consequences, or the transfer of control of Gaza to what Defense Minister Yoav Galant defines as a “non-hostile Palestinian administration” — in other words, an improved Palestinian Authority (PA) that would inevitably lead to a Palestinian state.
Without a firm commitment to a Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority is unlikely to rush into taking control of the Gaza Strip given its many challenges, and Israel will sooner or later realize that the only way out of this problem is to cooperate with the budding Palestinian state.
Smotrich and his right-wing government comrades would also, apparently against their will, be the founders of a Palestinian state, the more they deny its existence, the more it is strengthened, transforming it into the only viable solution to the problems that have plagued us for the past 57 years of Israeli control of the West Bank and Gaza.
This is the problem that exploded before us with the murderous riots of October 7, and which politicians continue to exacerbate. Israeli military and civilian control of Gaza is in reality an option, because the price it demands – loss of life and destruction, economic crisis, unprecedented political isolation and growing regional threats – is too heavy for the State and society of Israel, dividing it and endangering the very existence of the state.
The Israeli government must therefore move forward without delay with a regional agreement that includes the release of all hostages, the establishment of a revitalized Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia, and the approval of a roadmap for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
This arrangement would be a win-win situation for everyone except Hamas, Iran, and our own extremists, who are endangering stability in the Middle East and the political, economic, and security interests of the free world.
While there are still needs to be done on security and disarmament, it is our duty to move forward with a Palestinian state for the safety of our country and its people, for the sake of the hostages, and to ensure the survival of the State of Israel as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people.
Leadership change in the Palestinian Authority is as essential as leadership change in Israel, and we will help accelerate those changes if we can find a way to move the region away from the political and security stalemate that threatens to destroy us.
The author is executive director of J Street Israel and a former Israeli diplomat in Washington and Boston and political advisor to the president of Israel.
