Palestinians not ready for statehood
People have to grow used to statehood. It is one thing to submit to the violent threats of an occupier or warlord, and another to willingly accept the societal contract which underpins statehood. Tribes submitted to colonizers, but tribes cannot organize themselves into the intricate framework of a state. Democracy, liberalism, free-market capitalism, and statehood—among other concepts—cannot be imposed on just any society; the target society has to grow up, learn from its own errors, and slowly accept more and more elements of the concept. The example of the communists taught the world that planning economies is impossible; it is still less possible to plan societies. Palestinian Ar

Social being determines consciousness
The economic crisis underscored Israel’s only problem: the economic one. The shift of public opinion to the right is not a political platform—rather, it is a call on the government to stop bothering people with irrelevant issues. Few Israelis believed that Lieberman could follow through on his promise to refuse citizenship to disloyal Arabs. Nor could Netanyahu be expected to stand against the peaceniks. Consciously or not, Israelis voted to put the political process on hold while the government addresses more urgent issues. Israel’s lackluster economy is behind the lack of Western aliyah: many people can bring themselves to live in an ostensibly insecure country for ideol

Ahmadinejad cannot last
Rabbah Bar Hanah told in the name of Rabbi Yohanan in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Yillai, “In future, Rome will fall to Persia…” Rav said, “In future, Persia will fall to Romans.” Don’t take me wrong, I’m all for bombing Iran, nuking its underground and mountain labs, and slapping the mullahs. That is important if we are to reinstate Israeli deterrence, our regional hegemony, and most importantly, Jewish self-confidence. Like after the 1981 Osiraq bombing, a squall of international condemnations would ensue and recede to nil after a month. Strategically, however, Iran is not the problem. Like the USSR in its last days, Iran seems monstrously dangerous

Hate is normal
“Do I not hate, O Lord, those who hate you?” Psalm 139:21 Gush Katif was lost because the defendants appealed to common sense and pity. There are no such feelings on a mass level. Masses are only capable of zealous action: it takes a lot of zeal to glue together such diverse people. The rallies in Stalinist Moscow or Islamist Mecca which debase individuals into a mass are one example. Importantly, however, self-abrogation is non-actionable: after the hajj, the Muslims simply go home. Hatred is the only actionable mass feeling. Here lies the trap for the Israeli right: they are mostly nice people, religious, with firm family values. They just cannot hate. Contrast them

Righteousness, not justice
Israel’s references to justice are absurd. There is no justice in international relations, but only the balance of power. What justice is there in refusing nuclear weapons to Iran? It is a sovereign state as much entitled to nukes as Britain. If anything, Britain is responsible for more Jewish deaths than Iran, and the latter would never nuke Israel. Why should we care about justice? Thirty years ago, Egypt was actively pursuing its nuclear program. It acted even more illegally than Iran: instead of building its own centrifuges, it enriched uranium in China with Russian ones. Now Egypt pursues an ostensibly peaceful nuclear program. Suppose it were to be revealed that Egypt