Few Israeli public figures have spent as much time thinking about the ideas shaping the country’s future as Einat Wilf. A former Knesset member, internationally respected analyst, founder of the new centrist Oz Party and author of the recent books Teaching Zionism: Revelations from a Skeptical Classroom and Peace Not Now: Time for the Jews to Determine Their Fate, Wilf has become one of the Jewish world’s most influential and authoritative voices on Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As Israelis prepare for another pivotal election on October 27 and continue to grapple with the aftermath of the Hamas attacks three years ago and the ensuing wars in Gaza and with Iran, the 55-year-old Wilf weighs in on the country’s greatest threats, the global battle over Israel’s legitimacy and what gives her hope. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

​In Peace Not Now, you argue that before October 7, 2023, Israel fundamentally misunderstood the Palestinians. What did it get wrong?​

Israelis didn’t understand that every Palestinian in Gaza or living under the Palestinian Authority is part of a destructive vision that denies Jewish self-determination in any part of the land. There was also this tendency to think that you can buy off the people of Gaza with money and to not understand that they will use whatever resources they’re given, whether land or money, to carry out their vision of no Jewish state.

How did October 7 change that thinking, both in Israel and abroad?

On the right, you saw the rise of, “We don’t care. The world hates us. We just need to fight.” On the left grew the notion that, “O.K., we just need to replace this government, or more specifically get rid of Prime Minister Netanyahu, and that’s our only problem of international legitimacy,” rather than understanding that this is a very methodical campaign against what Israel is. On October 7, people emerged from the physical and the metaphorical tunnels to launch a global assault on Jewish life everywhere and anywhere.

What do you think Israelis are really voting for in this election?

At the moment, people are drawn to Gadi Eisenkot and his Yashar Party. Eisenkot does not represent a very stark break from pre-October 7 thinking. I think people are gravitating toward the possibility of changing the government, but not necessarily new or different policies. Israelis want to find a way to get past certain divisions, and I think Eisenkot represents that. The second thing is the idea of recruitment in the military. Israelis want everyone to contribute, including the haredim.

Can small parties, like Oz, decide this election?​

Small centrist parties are the holy grail of this specific election because the haredi parties, and the Arab Ra’am Party, have lost their ability to be kingmakers since most parties won’t sit with them. Even a small party of four to seven seats could end up in a kingmaker position. There is an understanding that the centrist Zionist forces will have to come together to transform key issues in Israeli society.

How do you see Israel’s standing in the world today?

We are living through what I consider a mass psychosis, a mass manipulation that has gone global, with people increasingly thinking that if only Israel and Zionism did not exist, they would live in a better world. Israel’s issue is not about improving our image. It’s about understanding that we need to work with allies who understand how destructive this ideology is, that it is going to destroy any society that allows it to dominate.

What gives you hope?

The quality of the people of Israel and their level of commitment. Israelis are creative, they show solidarity, they’re willing to sacrifice and they self-organize to help each other. It’s the kind of social capital that other societies would kill for.

Maayan Hoffman is a leading American Israeli journalist and the host of the Hadassah On Call podcast. She is also the author of the forthcoming book, Traumatech Nation.