Israel celebrates Yom Ha’atzmaut this week, its 78th Independence Day. Since it comes so close this year to Yom HaShoah, one can’t help but think of how different the Jewish reality is today, with all its challenges, compared to the 1930s because of the existence of the Jewish state.
It is not only the most obvious fact that Jews are no longer helpless before violent anti-Jewish hatred, but the fact that at the lowest moment in the history of the Jewish people, the murder of six million Jews, a Jewish state came into existence which gave the Jewish people hope about the future. Indeed, the miracle of the resuscitation of Jewish sovereignty in their historic homeland should never be taken for granted. Yom Ha’atzmaut gives Jews everywhere an opportunity to celebrate this new reality.
While celebration should be the hallmark of this yearly anniversary, the context in which it is taking place has rarely been as complex as this year’s. There is much to be happy about and much to be concerned about.
On the negative side of the ledger, first is Israel’s increasing isolation in too many parts of the world. Since October 7, Israel’s place in the diplomatic world has significantly deteriorated.
In some ways, even more significant has been the corresponding deterioration in American public opinion. Polling shows the lowest approval rating for Israel in decades. Highlighting this is where Israel stands among Democrats and liberals, but even on the right there are warning signs.
And even what should be seen as a strength, the exceptional coordination during the Iran war between the US and Israeli armed forces, raises questions about the sustainability of such close cooperation given shifting political winds in Washington.
Still, there is much to be happy about as well. Most significantly, Israel’s place in the Middle East has entered a new phase. For most of Israel’s history, efforts focused on minimizing the damage to the Jewish state from Arab hostility, whether it was boycott efforts, resolutions at the U.N. or threats of war. Most of Israeli attention in the region was defensive.
Now, the focus is on how Israel can take advantage of the significant change in attitudes about its place in the region. A lot of that has to do with Arab concerns about Iran’s role in the Middle East, already a significant factor before the war in generating interest in what became the Abraham Accords. And once the war took a turn where fears of Iran were translated into a scary reality, with Iranian missile bombardment of Gulf states, it opened the very real possibility of expanding and deepening the Abraham Accords.
Saudi entry to the Abraham Accords will undoubtedly be back on the table after the war concludes. And the fascinating development between Lebanon and Israel holds hope that a transformation of relations between the two states may no longer be a pipe dream.
On the military front, though significant goals of the war are still up in the air, the accomplishments vis-à-vis Iran since the last Independence Day are nothing to sneeze at. Most particularly, and which opened up so much of what was done this war, was the degradation of Iran’s air defenses by Israel last summer in the 12-day war. That meant America could freely attack the nuclear reactors and during this conflict Israel could freely bomb Iranian military targets.
The great unknown of the military accomplishments against Iran is what impact they will have on the ability and willingness of the Iranian public to rise up against the regime. While the military degradation of the regime has received most of the attention, the economic impact has been severe. Since it was the economy that triggered the uprising some months ago, the possibility of an even worse economy must be watched carefully.
Finally, is the level of cooperation between the U.S. and Israel during this war. Even with the potential negative implications in the long run for the relationship, the coordination between the two in countering the leading source of state terrorism in the world, which the Arab states appreciate now more than ever, will make all in the region feel safer.
In sum, as Israelis understandably celebrate the realization of what Zionism was all about, the liberation of the Jewish people in their historic homeland, the world around them provides both hope and concern about what the future will bring.
Kenneth Jacobson is Deputy National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.