1. I don’t buy the conventional wisdom that has been so quick to describe the election as “fateful,” while also portraying it as a campaign devoid of suspense or interest. The prevailing assumption is that Netanyahu has managed to lull voters into complacency and make them forget the catastrophe of October 7, while the candidates seeking to replace him have failed to galvanize the public.Well, I don’t see it that way. Voters fully understand what happened here and who is responsible for all the dysfunction that has come to define our lives. Voters remember, and they will punish this government, which refuses to take responsibility for its actions. All those figures who have bombarded us with messages of division and mutual hatred will be swept aside and removed from the public payroll, where we have paid them enormous sums for doing absolutely nothing.
Netanyahu will be replaced after October 27
(Photo: Reuters)
So here’s some advice to my readers: Understand that polls are worthless, except for the fact that their findings provide fodder for hours of meaningless chatter on television.
And one more thing: Donald Trump is effectively running Israel’s security policy as well. That means there will be no resumption of the war against Iran, Lebanon, Syria or Gaza, at least until after the U.S. midterm elections and Israel’s elections.
It’s terrible, but it’s true: Israel is effectively in receivership, unable to pursue an independent security policy.
In short, Netanyahu will be replaced after October 27, as one would expect from the Israel I know, a country that has not lost its mind.
2. Friedrich Nietzsche will be remembered for generations to come as the philosopher who proclaimed the death of God. In our case, it is worth recalling what he wrote in his book Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits:
“Mighty waters sweep many stones and shrubs away with them; mighty spirits many foolish and confused minds.”
On Thursday night, I attended the wedding of a close friend’s daughter. There, I found renewed strength in my encounters with members of a younger generation who fought in the latest war without hesitation or fear for their lives. They gave everything for moments like these, understanding that without them, there would be no chance of survival here.
One of my friends sent two sons to fight in Gaza, and I found myself reflecting on the three years of war we have endured, during which parents have been forced to share in the fates of their children.
4. A few days ago, I saw Aeschylus’ Agamemnon at the Cameri Theater. The play had been adapted into accessible language and grappled with the dilemma of sacrificing the ruler’s son in exchange for the release of more than 100 captives.
I regretted that such wonderful actors had been given such a cheap script, apparently in an effort to make the play more accessible to audiences.
5. Leonard Cohen wrote Book of Longing after spending years in a Buddhist monastery.
“You have been told to ‘go with the flow’ but as you know from your studies, there is no flow, nor is there actually any coming or going.”
Cohen reaches deep into the soul:
“My time is running out and still I have not sung the true song, the great song. I admit that I seem to have lost my courage. A glance at the mirror, a glimpse into my heart, makes me want to shut up forever.”
Poems penetrate the soul and refuse to let go.
Voters remember, and they will punish this government, which refuses to take responsibility for its actions. All those figures who have bombarded us with messages of division and mutual hatred will be swept aside.