Haaretz newspaper published an article in which the author extrapolates history to find out the reasons for the disintegration and collapse of states. Inspired by lessons and lessons to determine whether the successive events in Israel, the repercussions of the war in Gaza, portend the collapse of the state, and if Israel collapses, is it capable of rising from its ruins?
Israeli historian Ofri Ilani wrote in the article that millions of people today were born in countries that no longer exist, such as those that emerged from the communist bloc, such as Yugoslavia, East Germany, South Yemen, and of course the Soviet Union.
He attributed the demise of some of those countries and political entities to historical developments they witnessed. Among them, he mentioned the state of Prussia, and the United Arab Republic, which effectively disintegrated in 1961 when Syria separated from it, and was officially dissolved in 1971.
According to the historian, many do not believe that the State of Israel, which has been established for 76 years, is about to join the list of those former states that no longer exist.
It will not celebrate its 100th anniversary
However, he goes back to saying that talk about Israel experiencing its final years has become widespread in the media, and is being expressed in protests against the Israeli government and in the statements of intellectuals at home and around the world.
It is also often expressed in the form of a warning, such as in an article by writer Merav Arlosoroff in The Marker newspaper (in Hebrew) this week, that “the way the State of Israel is currently proceeding will not lead it to celebrating its 100th anniversary of independence.”
Ilani divides those who talk about Israel’s demise into two groups: those who hope it will happen, and those who fear it will happen.
The first group, he said, are Israel’s enemies in the Arab world and elsewhere, and some anti-Israel protesters in the United States and Europe. They “see that Israel is a colonial entity that should be dismantled, and the sooner the better.”
When some are asked what they expect to happen to the Jewish citizens of Israel after the demise of their state, they say that they must “return to Europe,” while others talk about imposing democracy on “the lands currently occupied by the Zionist regime,” as happened in the Soviet Union, or in South Africa “which It was not resolved, but its regime changed.”
The Israeli historian described these statements as outrageous, because they contain, as he says, a great deal of arrogance and self-esteem. In his opinion, the Israelis are so traumatized that they do not believe that the dismantling of their state can be done smoothly.
A terrifying nightmare
It is not surprising, then, that most Israelis view the prospect of their state’s demise as a terrifying nightmare; The experiences of Jewish history conjure scenarios of a second Holocaust, or at least scenarios of destruction, as the Haaretz article put it.
The writer goes on to say that there is no reason to believe that more than 10 million people will pack their bags and settle in Europe or the United States.
He adds that by extrapolating Israel’s history over long time frames, we are likely to conclude that the State of Israel may collapse, but it will rise again and again.
The writer concluded his article with an optimistic tone, saying: The war currently taking place in the Gaza Strip will seem like a minor chapter of history that is barely mentioned, “like a quarrel between lovers that may seem exciting at the right time,” and it will be buried under the rubble of battles and reconciliations, so that no one will remember the reasons for its occurrence. , As he says.