Days before tomorrow’s third anniversary of Oct. 7, the co-pilot of an Israel-bound Flydubai flight attacked the captain as the aircraft began to plunge. Passengers rushed forward, helping the wounded Indian captain and crew avert a potential Israeli 9/11. Among them were a plumber and a dentist, ordinary people who met immense responsibility with determination and resilience.
For those of us who have spent these years alongside Israelis, their response felt familiar: recognize danger, take responsibility and act. We saw it on Oct. 7, when people headed to communities under attack to rescue strangers, and later among civilians who prepared meals, opened their homes and cared for children in shelters.
Israeli technology companies raised $11 billion so far in 2026, up 50% from 2025. Foreign funds have participated in more than 70% of investments as Israeli innovation continues to deliver against some of the greatest bottlenecks across the Western Alliance.
America’s Greatest Generation endured the Depression and World War II, then built families, businesses, institutions, and the prosperity of the following decades. Their experience gave lasting urgency to what they wanted to protect and create.
We see a similar determination in Israel. People who have been through hell retain an extraordinary thirst for life. They want to raise children, build companies, and help their country flourish. Their scars and grief live alongside an insistence that the future must hold more than survival.
No achievement can compensate for those murdered on Oct. 7, the suffering of the hostages and their families, or the lives lost afterward. Remembering that cost is essential to understanding those who keep rebuilding.
Israel’s determination coincides with a historic change in what the world needs.
The AI supercycle is creating enormous demand on computers and energy. Governments increasingly recognize that semiconductors, quantum computing, autonomous systems, and advanced materials underpin national security. Owning these technologies and capabilities will shape countries’ independence and ability to defend themselves.
Israel’s universities, labs, frontier tech companies, and defense manufacturers have spent decades turning difficult science into systems that work. That expertise now meets urgent demand for missile defenses, advanced chips, energy, and materials. The next challenge is scale: making breakthroughs reliable and affordable for other countries.
The war’s brutality has damaged Israel’s reputation, compounded by antisemitism reasserting itself across Europe and America, where Jewish communities face hostility. We believe this period will prove a trough in Israel’s international standing. Our confidence rests on the Israeli people and the capabilities and relationships they can build.
Over the next few decades, Israel can consolidate its position as a regional power and global technology partner. Deeper relationships with Arab countries seeking stability and prosperity can connect Israeli innovation with regional capital and markets. Cooperation in energy, water, and industry can improve millions of lives. American investors should keep backing the founders who can help make those connections last.
Even the Flydubai rescue offered a glimpse of that possibility. Israeli passengers, an Indian captain, an Emirati airline, and Saudi personnel caring for those who landed.
On this somber anniversary, our thoughts begin with those who should still be here and the families carrying their absence. They also turn to those who have spent three years taking responsibility to rebuild.
Our confidence in Israel begins with them. The coming decades will reveal what they can build so those lives can flourish.
Prosor and Broukhim are partners at Deep33, a deep-tech venture fund investing across AI infrastructure, advanced energy, quantum computing, and robotics and autonomous systems.