Israel’s 27 October election is fast approaching, with little clarity about who will win. But Benjamin Netanyahu is more likely to lose. His polling is poor, and the fractious opposition parties may yet find a way to form the next government.

What would such a government do? Most of the Zionist opposition parties, the frontrunners to lead such a coalition, have offered bromides about good governance and unifying the country. Others have focused on more specific plans to establish a state commission of inquiry into the government’s failures around the attacks of 7 October 2023, and end the exemption from military service enjoyed by most ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.

But if a new government truly plans to build a better future, Israel needs more profound changes. Simply ousting Netanyahu will not be enough.

The two issues the opposition has highlighted are understandably important to Israelis. For so many citizens, the disaster of 7 October and subsequent two-year hostage crisis became a crisis of faith in the state itself. Without accountability through an independent inquiry, society cannot move on. And even staunch supporters of peace cannot tolerate the rank injustice of some citizens serving and dying in wars while others are systematically let off the hook.

But what then? Israel’s war in response to 7 October has continued to devastate Palestinian society. But the past few years have damaged Israel internally as well.

Social solidarity in Israel is abysmal. Hundreds of thousands of reservists have served for months, interrupting their studies, family life and income. Up to 30,000 people have been wounded, according to Israel’s ministry of defence.

Meanwhile, the current government has slashed social-service budgets in favour of defence spending. The psychological toll is immense, yet........

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