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In this follow-up episode, Dr. Adi Schwartz, co-author of the book “October Seventh” (with Dr. Einat Wilf), returns to present his vision for resolving the conflict. After diagnosing the roots of the conflict in the previous episode, Schwartz this time focuses on the question of what to do and what practical alternative Israel should promote.
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Diagnosis before solution
According to Dr. Adi Schwartz, any attempt to offer a solution must be based on an accurate diagnosis of reality, not on wishful thinking. He argues that the correct approach is to gather evidence from the ground and draw conclusions, not to start with the desired outcome and bend the facts to fit it. An approach of self-deception, he explains, is what partly led to the disaster of October 7. According to him, had the Israeli establishment internalized the true intentions of the Palestinians, it would have interpreted the preliminary signs on the night of the attack differently.
No alternative to Hamas
Schwartz argues that the claim that Israel should have built an alternative to Hamas in Gaza is misleading. In his view, no such alternative exists because Hamas is an authentic representative of the Palestinian public in Gaza and the West Bank, as Palestinian polls also indicate. He challenges listeners to find any significant popular or intellectual Palestinian movement that has emerged since October 7 and called for abandoning the hundred-year war on Zionism. According to him, the anger on the Palestinian street is directed at Hamas for its tactical failures and the destruction of the Strip, but not for its ideological goals.
A zero-sum conflict
At its core, Schwartz argues, the conflict is a zero-sum game. The vast majority of Jews in Israel, from the far left to the far right, have one common goal: the existence of a sovereign Jewish state. The Palestinian side, in contrast, opposes the very existence of such a state, not just its borders. Therefore, the conflict can only end in one of two ways: either the Jews give up their aspiration for a state, or the Arabs give up their war on Zionism.
The goal: making the other side give up
As a Zionist, Schwartz believes the only solution is for the Arab side to end its war on Israel. To achieve this, Israel must redefine the war’s objective: not just a military victory over Hamas, but a change in Palestinian ideology. According to him, an ideology cannot be defeated by military means alone. The military effort is only half the job, and it must be backed by a broad diplomatic, public diplomacy, and cognitive effort.
In response to a question from Boris about whether such an approach is not patronizing, Schwartz replies that the Americans were also patronizing toward Japan and Germany after World War II, and they brought about a profound change in those societies. He argues there is no reason to accept as neutral a murderous ideology that denies the Jewish people’s right to self-determination.
The “day after” in Gaza
Regarding the day after the war in Gaza, Schwartz emphasizes that the important question is not who will rule the Strip, but what the content of that rule will be. Any authority that is established, whether Israeli, international, or Palestinian, must be subject to clear conditions: ending the war on Zionism, renouncing territorial claims on Israel, and giving up refugee status and the “right of return.”
If the Palestinians refuse these conditions, Schwartz argues, the Gaza Strip must not be rebuilt. According to him, rebuilding the Strip without an ideological change means helping the enemy prepare for the next attack. In such a situation, protected humanitarian zones should be established only for those Palestinians who agree to the conditions, and new education and employment systems should be built for them, without the involvement of UNRWA.
The diplomatic and ideological struggle
Schwartz calls on Israel to wage an uncompromising diplomatic and ideological struggle against the Palestinian narrative, and especially against UNRWA’s refugee mechanism, which he says perpetuates the conflict and encourages the Palestinians to continue their war. He notes that the international community sends the opposite message to the Palestinians: no matter what you do, even crimes like those of October 7, the world will rebuild for you. He concludes with a warning that continuing to ignore Palestinian ideology, as expressed in the recent speeches of Abu Mazen, will lead to further disasters.
The original episode, in Hebrew: ״שיבה באוקטובר״ מה עכשיו?