Ilan Pappé

We had hoped that, once the initial shock and trauma had passed, those who still regard themselves as liberals in Israel would realize that the only way to change Israel is through the formation of a strong alliance between Palestinian and more progressive Jewish citizens. But that is not happening. October 7 turned those who regarded themselves as liberal Zionists into more extreme right-wing Zionists. So we don’t really have liberal Zionist political forces anymore. That means that the Palestinian community in Israel will be further isolated.

But that is in the short term. In the long run, I think that October 7 was a wake-up call that the way the Jewish state was developed — as a supremacist state, a racist state based on oppression, occupation, and ethnic cleansing — is not working.

Yes, Israel is still powerful and has powerful allies, and the Palestinians are weak and cannot liberate themselves or end their oppression. But they will continue their struggle. And the world is beginning to understand that they are the victims — and not Israel. These processes will persist. We can already see that those Israelis who want a normal, democratic, liberal life don’t find it in Israel. They go to places like Germany or elsewhere. And those left behind don’t seem to be capable of running a state.

I am not sure the United States will always be there to pay for Israel’s expenditures. We can also see that the international community has had enough, at least the civil society. Yes, this has not impacted many governments yet, but it will surely happen. Therefore, I think that, ironically, the Palestinians in Israel are the only people who can offer a bridge from the unacceptable reality of apartheid, genocide, and ethnic cleansing to genuine coexistence — as it existed in Palestine before the arrival of Zionism.