The lesson from the destruction of the First Temple for our times: Civil war is devastating | Prof. Ehud Pines and Ruthi Pines Feldman

An opinion piece by Prof. Ehud Pines and Ruthi Pines Feldman warning against civil war in Israel, drawing a comparison to the assassination of Gedaliah ben Ahikam after the destruction of the First Temple, which led to mass exile and the elimination of the Jewish settlement in Judea.

An opinion piece by Prof. Ehud Pines and Ruthi Pines Feldman compares the civil war that occurred in Judea after the destruction of the First Temple to the political tensions in Israel on the eve of the elections. The authors describe how the Babylonians destroyed the Temple in 586 BCE but left a significant portion of the population in the land. The final destruction, they argue, occurred due to the assassination of Gedaliah ben Ahikam, the governor appointed by the Babylonians, by pro-Egyptian opponents, and the mass flight to Egypt that followed. The article calls on all political sides to accept the election results and avoid internal conflict that could deteriorate into civil war, warning that Israel's enemies yearn for the state's disintegration.

The lesson from the destruction of the First Temple for our times: Civil war is devastating | Prof. Ehud Pines and Ruthi Pines Feldman