Every nation at war faces a moment when it must ask not only whether it can prevail, but what kind of nation it wishes to be when the fighting ends.

Military strategy is a matter of tactics and logistics. National identity, however, is a matter of the soul. As a psychologist, I have long studied how individuals and organizations react under extreme stress. The immediate instinct is always to contract, to harden, and to prioritize survival above all else. Yet the healthiest systems—whether human minds, corporate structures, or sovereign states—are those that retain the capacity for self-reflection even in the midst of existential threat. Israel, today, stands at precisely that juncture.

Israel was founded after one of history’s greatest catastrophes. Its Declaration of Independence envisioned a Jewish state that would uphold liberty, justice and peace while ensuring equality for all its inhabitants. That aspiration has never been easy to fulfill. The sabra realism of its founders always wrestled with the prophetic idealism of its scriptures. Yet this very tension has remained one of Israel’s defining strengths. It is a nation built on argument, on dissenting rabbinic opinions, and on the radical idea that a people can return to its homeland without abandoning its moral compass.

The trauma of October 7th cannot be understated. The kidnapping and terror inflicted upon Israeli civilians demanded a response. Every state has both the right and the obligation to protect its citizens from future attacks. To suggest otherwise is to live in a world detached from reality.........

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