The Blogs: What if the Israel I believed in is no longer the Israel Israelis want? | Gershon Baskin

Gershon Baskin, an immigrant to Israel since 1978, reflects on whether the Israel he believed in—a Jewish homeland, democracy, and society committed to social justice and peace—is no longer the country most Israelis want. He questions why voters continue to support leaders like Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, and Smotrich, and warns against building a national future on permanent Palestinian statelessness.

Gershon Baskin, who immigrated to Israel in 1978 at age 22, reflects on his disillusionment with the country's political direction nearly 50 years later. He questions whether the Israel he believed in—a Jewish homeland, vibrant democracy, and society committed to social justice and peace—is no longer the Israel most Israelis want. Ahead of elections, he notes that the public debate focuses on whether Benjamin Netanyahu will remain prime minister, but he argues the deeper issue is why so many Israelis continue to support leaders like Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Bezalel Smotrich. Baskin observes the normalization of ideas once on the political fringes, such as permanent denial of Palestinian national rights and attacks on judicial independence. He acknowledges the trauma of October 7 but insists that trauma does not absolve responsibility for choices made afterward. He warns that national success cannot be measured only by economic output or military power, and that decent people can support policies with destructive consequences. The framing relies on personal reflection and moral questioning rather than procedural sourcing.