Israel Must Stop Living in the Past and Start Planning for the Future

The article argues that Israeli public debate has shifted away from long-term national questions and become trapped in endless arguments over blame for the past, especially after the October 7 massacre. It says that instead of discussing Israel’s future, the economy, the Negev and Galilee, social cohesion, and the country’s place in the world, the army, government, media, and courts are now focused on investigations, leaks, transcripts, and expected inquiries.

Written in the shadow of renewed public anger after October 7, the piece says the attack was a formative national trauma and an open wound, but warns that a society cannot turn a wound into its entire identity. It says constant self-investigation may destroy the ability to build a future, and adds that the country has also lost the ability to disagree without hatred, turning political differences into moral accusations and opponents into enemies.

The column uses historical examples to make its point, citing Rome, Yugoslavia, and the Hasmonean kingdom. It recalls the feud between Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, which led each side to invite Rome in, and says Pompey entered Jerusalem in 63 BCE, ending Jewish independence. It also invokes the destruction of the Second Temple, which חז"ל attributed to baseless hatred, as well as the examples of Hillel and Shammai and the phrase that both views are “the words of the living God.”

The author says Israel in 2026 must still determine who is responsible for October 7, but also ask whether it can return to speaking about tomorrow while examining yesterday. The conclusion is that a nation is built not only from memory, but from shared past, present disagreement, and faith in a common future, and that Zionism means continuing to build what can still be.