Israel at 60: celebrating successes, seeking peace
SIXTY years ago, on May 14, 1948, the state of Israel was born. The dream of Jews to return to their homeland after 2,000 years of exile was finally fulfilled. Alas, the dream was immediately followed by a nightmare: The next day, the new nation was attacked by its neighbors. The first of many Arab-Israeli wars had begun. Born into violence, these wars have left an indelible mark on the Israeli psyche, as well as on its image in the world. Israel is widely perceived as a war-ridden country.
War has for far too long defined us - defined our population, national boundaries, unity, and, most important, our quest for peace. From the War of Independence to the last war with Hezbollah on our northern border, Israel's identity and its image have been molded by its relations with the Arab world. But in these past 60 years, Israelis have actively chosen not to define themselves solely by their pains, past and present.
And although the strains on our society, economy, and morale have been great, and at times profound, we have managed to keep war from limiting what our nation can become, what our people can achieve. We have managed to define ourselves in terms of "us." and not in opposition to "them." We resist the natural tendency to focus only on our threats from Iran and on the constant rockets fired daily by Hamas on Sderot.
Israelis have resolutely stuck to shaping our own destiny, rather than remaining mired in a state of victimhood. And whether it has been advances in the life sciences, agriculture, or energy conservation, Israelis have become leaders in global development. It is our people, not our geopolitical situation, that ultimately determine who we are. It is our people's ingenuity that has allowed us to pursue nation-building.
We are a land of ordinary people capable of extraordinary things. We are a land of innovators, visionaries, Nobel Prize winners, entrepreneurs, scholars, engaged citizens - and, perhaps most pervasively, of dreamers.
Citizens no longer wish to engage in the "blame game" but are pushing leaders to formulate new rules for an end-game to the chronic conflict. And we are proud of our resilience in the enduring search for peace - a search that has not been deterred by either bad news or bad actors. We are absolutely and resolutely determined to persist in our goal for co-existence without letting extremists highjack our efforts.
Our quest for peace has led us through Oslo, back to Camp David, to disengagement from Gaza and beyond, in the hope of not only finally bringing about our own security but also enabling the Palestinian people to assert their national sovereignty. Our redefinition of self has afforded us the understanding that if we are to continue thriving, a viable Palestinian State must flourish by our side.
We believe that peace is not only a moral imperative; it is the only realistic choice. We will not settle for endless war; our fate, our destiny, cannot be to have to defend ourselves every day, oftentimes by hurting others. We have left our dark history behind, our victimization, not in order to victimize others but to emerge - together with those others, for there is no other way - into a brighter future.
Yes, these 60 years of conflict have often exhausted our people from fighting, but not from living. And we are proud to embrace the foundations on which our nation was established - foundations that cultivate our democracy and pluralism, that allow us to actualize our true potential, whoever we may be, in this extraordinary mosaic of Israeli society.
May the next 60 years bring positive news from the entire Middle East - news of developing nations and not of chronic crises. May they bring meaningful reflection and mutual cooperation. May they be years during which wrongs are righted and rights are achieved. Most crucially, may they at long last bring the peace that is every person's basic right, and which is both so urgent and overdue.
Nadav Tamir serves as consul general of Israel to New England at the Consulate General of Israel.
