How the ideological siege undermines the peace process

True, the Israelis lived with no peace for more than 60 years, but then every diagnosis of the Israeli-Palestinian reality suggests that Israel cannot maintain the status quo for another five years, let alone 60, because times have changed.

Demographically, Israel is at a severe disadvantage as the number of Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel itself is already equal to the number of Jews living in Israel. Failure to resolve the conflict will inevitably lead to one state, which is unthinkable by all Israeli Jews.

Moreover, the US and the EU in particular are tired of the continuing conflict and blame Israel for being intransigent, damaging their strategic interests; even worse, Israel is becoming ever more isolated by choosing to live by the sword. Can these conditions be sustained for another 60 years?

It should be clear by now that the Palestinians will not simply surrender to Israel's whims. Time is on their side, and they will continue to fight and die, if they must, because they have little left to lose.

Finally, another respondent claims that "The voters voted for Netanyahu. So if he goes, the voters will vote for another Center Right politician. What these people want is Bibi gone and a leftist in power. Oh and to force [such a change] even if the voters don't want it."

Based on everything we know, Netanyahu is not committed to a two-state solution. A new leader representing the center and left of center is needed, one who fully understands that Israel is racing toward the abyss if it fails to bring the conflict to an end.

Moreover, being elected does not mean that Netanyahu is pursuing the right policy that serves Israel best. Netanyahu's vision of indefinite control of the Jews' entire biblical land is an illusion as there exists a Palestinian population which is not going anywhere.

What these respondents have in common is that they suffer from an ideological siege, refusing to alter their mindsets. They prefer the status quo as they fear change, however critical it may be to face the reality on the ground.

The founder of the state of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, stated "Better a Jewish state on part of the land than all of the land without a state." His advice was to treat the Palestinians with sensitivity, because the Jews have no choice but to coexist with them under any circumstances. The late Yitzhak Rabin came to the same conclusion, and was killed for what he believed in.

It is time for all present and future Israeli leaders to heed Ben-Gurion's advice in order to preserve the Jews' millennium-old dream of having a democratic, secure, and independent state that offers a safe and lasting haven for any Jew who chooses to call it home.