In cooperation with the World Jewish Congress
Today Israel is in danger. One Jewish state of the Jewish people faces an existential threat. An unprecedented combination of external and internal challenges places the country on the brink of an abyss.
The external challenge has three dimensions. Over the past year, Iran has accumulated enough fissile material to produce several nuclear bombs, and if it goes nuclear, it will threaten Israel's security. Hezbollah has become the strongest and most dangerous terrorist organization in the world. He acquired the capabilities to attack Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Hamas is eroding the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority.
Chaos is developing in Judea and Samaria that could lead to an outbreak of violence. That's right: Israel is strong. If it attacks, it will fight hard – and win. But the three dimensions of the external challenge create a new strategic reality.
The risk of a multi-front war breaking out is higher than it has been for decades. Israel also faces an internal threat that also has three dimensions.
The legal reform initiated by Justice Minister Yariv Levin is perceived by the right as essential and by the left as an attack on liberal democracy.
The coalition's dependence on nationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties does not allow Prime Minister Netanyahu to realize his moderate conservative worldview, while inter-tribal tension is deepening and becoming a deep rift.
The three dimensions of the internal challenge are open to historical wounds and arouse hatred. They are drawing Israeli society into a whirlwind of confrontation and divisions, the likes of which we have not seen since the establishment of the State of Israel on 5 Iyar 5708.
Israel is a unique and amazing nation. The establishment of the state after the Holocaust and the extraordinary success story of the past seventy-five years make it a man-made miracle, but now Israel is in danger.
While extremists insist on promoting anti-liberal legislation, hundreds of pilots and thousands of reservists declare that they will not report for service. These unprecedented developments led former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot to warn that Israel's strategic situation is worse than it has been since 2023.
That is why a Jewish leader like me can no longer remain silent. When I watch Israel tear itself apart while its enemies grow stronger, I must take a stand and make a voice heard: "A house divided within it cannot stand," Abraham Lincoln declared on the eve of the American Civil War.
Even Israel, which is divided within it, will not be able to stand. As Jews, we must learn from our tragic past. It is our duty not to repeat the mistakes we made when we allowed quarrels and disagreements to bring about the destruction of the First Temple and the destruction of the Second Temple. Diaspora Jews and Israeli citizens alike must ensure the future of the Third Temple.
There is only one way to overcome the multidimensional existential crisis: national unity. Just as the Israelis joined hands on the eve of the Six-Day War, they must join hands now. And there are only three people who can lead to unity: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz. Responsibility now rests on the shoulders of all three of them: they must sit down with each other immediately to discuss the fate of the nation in a good spirit. They must rise above personal interests and political disagreements and establish a strong and stable Zionist government: a government of national unity.
Throughout history, Israel has done wonders when, as it bloomed the wilderness, it built a home for millions of homeless Jews. After countless wars, it overcame most of its enemies and established peace with six Arab nations.
But the challenge of this time and of this generation is internal division. And the only way to deal with the challenge is to renew the alliance between the great Zionist forces. We must not wait for violence to break out. We must understand now that only a coalition of moderates can free Israel from the clutches of fanatics and extremists.Only national unity will prepare the nation for a supreme national test that may soon face it.
Photo : Ronald J Lauder office,
At this fateful crossroads, world Jewry looks up to the Jewish state, prays for its well-being and hopes that it will heal the wounds that tear it apart. Therefore, as president of the Jewish Congress, I call on Netanyahu, Lapid and Gantz to confront the historic challenge together. As a person who knows them well and as a Jew who loves Israel, I tell them that there is no other choice. Not only Diaspora Jews, but also most Israelis and three thousand years of Jewish history call for the Jewish state to unite. The writing on the wall: Unity.
President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder.
In cooperation with the World Jewish Congress