Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that his Likud party's goal for the next Knesset election is to win 40 seats. The number is symbolic of the deep insight that the next election (which will take place in 2019) will be about Israel's image for the next 70 years, particularly the basic question of whether Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people or a state of all its citizens, or more precisely โ all its ethnicities? Is Israel a Jewish state, the fulfillment of a 2,000-year-old vision, or just another country that lies on the Mediterranean? Will the country forgive those of its citizens who operate against it, and was there really any point in establishing it, as the character Shaltiel wondered in Amos Oz's 2014 novel "Judas"?
The main issues in all the recent Knesset elections were the peace process, security, the economy and social justice. For decades, and some would say since the first election after the state was established, Israeli society hasn't had to decide about its essence. The debate that has intensified recently over the nation-state law was an expression of how deep the confusion, doubts, and questions about our existence and hold on the land of our forefathers run. The citizens of Israel will have to give their answer.
For years, the Left has tried to hold elections about peace between us and the Palestinians. A snow-white dove was supposed to serve as bait for a public weary of wars and struggle to defend the country. The tragic outcome of the Oslo Accords caused Israelis to lose the innocent hope that the dispute was about the 1967 borders. A large majority, including some notable figures on the Left, realized that the dispute was actually about the 1948 borders โ Independence Day vs. Nakba Day, as it is marked by the Palestinians. The Jews' return to Zion vs. the Palestinians' demand for a right of return. Anyone who keeps track of statements by the Arab leadership already knows that most Israeli Arabs support the Palestinians' aspiration of return.
Most Israelis are doing well financially. The time when only the wealthy could afford to travel abroad has passed. Israel is ranked near the top in indices that assess economics and happiness.
This is the situation as the date on which Israelis will have to make an important decision about the way the country is headed draws closer. After 70 years of postponing decisions about how we envision ourselves, it's time to decide what path our life in our own nation will take.
