Two words can sum up the history of our people, “It’s complicated.” That’s it! Speaking to us before October 7th, our Israeli tour guide told us that it’s complicated. She was right then and she’s still right, today. Everybody I’ve had conversations with or read in print or online about the situation in Israel have credible and important things to say. Those on the left, the right, and in the middle are seemingly opposed to each other, but they all have interests in de-escalation and peace for the region. If that’s the case, there must be room for some agreement among us.

Are all Palestinians bad? Absolutely not. Are all terrorists bad? Without a doubt. Is it easy to differentiate between them? Sadly, no. Is Israel a remarkably powerful nation for its size and years as a nation? Amazingly so. Does it suffer from double standards by other nations? Yes, all the time. Can Israel fight this war as other nations fought their wars without facing biased scrutiny and blame? If you haven’t noticed, the answer is consistently, No.

From our vantage point in America, we sit in our respective political places working to bring others around to our ideas and to make an impression on those who do make strategic decisions in the Middle East. We don’t vote in Israel, so this is what we do. But it would make a greater impression on Israelis if we stood closer together than we have when we demonstrate our support in local protests, online group chats, and blogs. It would also make a difference on us who are still standing up for Israel, not to mention our children who are watching and learning from us. But so much still lies beyond our work and even our prayers.

Earlier this summer, I wrote: Netanyahu’s final campaign to enter Gaza City to end Hamas’s control over the region and to bring home the hostages, alive and dead, is a bold move. Some would say that it’s necessary. On one hand, Israel should excise Hamas’s last warriors, bring home the hostages, and leave Gaza for a future Palestinian civilian corps to lead. On the other hand, Netanyahu wouldn’t have time to succeed before he would draw the rage of the international community. Even if Netanyahu had time to do it right, the subject of Israel’s future as a moral nation would be up for debate interminably.

It’s already happening. If I sat with you where you are on the left, right, or in the middle, we would see, together, that Israel’s future as a moral nation is up for debate. Does it matter? Yes, it does. Israel is one of the mightiest nations. It baffles the minds of other peoples and larger nations. It doesn’t baffle Jews who learned from David Ben Gurion when he said, “In Israel, to be a realist you have to believe in miracles.” That’s the core of the stubborn double standard; this small and stiff-necked people continues to thrive against raging antisemitism and calls for global intifada. But the double standard doesn’t have to be a liability. Throughout history it’s been an opportunity. Israel and the Jewish people have been a “light to the nations” by doing more than surviving. Israel and the Jewish people have also thrived. The conclusion of this war will make no one happy enough, and no one more unhappy than our enemies and unfaithful allies. But, we don’t have to settle for less than a stunning victory that is both sustainable and moral.

No other faith is also a people fashioned from the dust of the earth and destined to dwell in its ancestral homeland. Whether we sit on the left, right, or in the middle, or with our backs to each other, we are inextricably linked by Torah, the uncomplicated sacred glue that represents God’s eternal covenant with all of us. In the New Year 5786, may we see an end to this war. May the Palestinian people, supported by a coalition of Arab nations, recognize Israel as their neighbor and enjoy self-rule focused on their priorities for prosperity and peace. May Israel know peace in its land and on its borders and return to being a great nation of ingenuity, culture, and hope for its citizens and Jews everywhere. And may we who are American Jews set in our western thoughts embrace each other and Israel, a nation among nations consistently set in a complicated neighborhood in complicated times.

Am Yisrael Chai, the People Israel Lives!

L’Shalom,