It is difficult to point to moments of sincerity in the ranks of the current Israeli political leadership, which for the most part wraps itself in slogans with the expectation that these will hide the dark truths of our lives. However, two weeks ago, we witnessed a rare moment of sincerity on the part of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who, in an exceptional act of disclosure, told his audience – the heads of the Jewish local councils in the West Bank – that “the danger of a Palestinian state becoming a reality is more tangible than it has been for years.”

What was absent from Smotrich’s words was some sort of soul-searching in light of the fact that it was precisely this government, known as “the right-wing government to its fullest,” in which he is a senior partner, that has brought us to the threshold of the very Palestinian state against which he issued his warning.

As someone who believes wholeheartedly that a Palestinian state must be a top priority goal of any Zionist government, I always heard statements such as: “Only the Right is capable of bringing peace,” and at least in one case it seemed to be correct, when Menachem Begin, a prime minister from the Likud, signed the peace treaty with Egypt. I thought that this notion only pertained to responsible right-wing leaders, as Begin and Sharon were in their later years. But now, it is the ultra-right-wing coalition that is advancing the vision of a Palestinian state against their will.

It seems that the radical slogan, “the situation must get really bad before it gets better,” has been proven correct in this case, ironically. Thus, the absolutely worst government that we have ever had – “right-wing to its fullest” – on whose watch the October 7 disaster occurred – many would even say: as a direct result of their neglect – has brought about the recognition, throughout the entire world, that there is no alternative to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

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