The terrible events of Oct. 7 have profoundly altered my perception of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the future of Gaza and the West Bank. My journey from a young immigrant in Israel, through my years as an army officer in Gaza, to an Israeli businessman in the West Bank and Gaza has been marked by a deep and personal connection to the region and its people. Yet the brutality I witnessed on Oct. 7 has left me grappling with a complex mix of feelings and uncertainty about the best path forward for my country, my people and the Palestinian people.
As a child of Holocaust survivors who arrived in Israel from the Soviet Union in the mid-1970s, Gaza always felt like a familiar place to me, not a foreign land. My family and I made daily trips there to shop and visit the local markets. This shaped my worldview, giving me a sense of connection and empathy towards the people I interacted with every day. My early career saw me transition from an infantry officer to a civil administration officer, where I was tasked with providing essential services to Gaza residents under Israeli rule. From 1988 to 1994, I witnessed not only the challenges but also the potential in the region.
During those years, we worked to improve Gaza’s infrastructure, education system and economy. Over time, those efforts felt less like bureaucratic obligations as I became driven by a personal commitment to ensuring the welfare of Gaza’s residents. I developed real friendships and a deep respect for the people I worked with. My emotional bond was so strong that even after 1994, I continued to visit Gaza each year to celebrate the birthday of a Palestinian child who was named after me—a testament to the enduring connections formed during my service.
However, the outbreak of the Second Intifada in September of 2000 brought a marked shift. Many of the Palestinian soldiers I had once called friends suddenly became adversaries, and the coup led by Hamas in 2007 signaled a troubling turn in Gaza’s trajectory. The subsequent violence, including internal strife between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority’s Fatah Party, unveiled a darker side of the experience. I had seen glimpses of brutality before, but the extreme violence that followed was a stark reminder of the deep-seated tensions between the two ruling sectors.
So the massacre of Oct. 7 came as an incredible shock. The scale of the atrocities committed by Gazans against Israelis was unprecedented and sent shockwaves through Israel. It was not just radicals and Hamas militants; I saw ordinary people participate in these horrific acts. This revelation felt like a personal betrayal of the relationship and bonds I had with Gaza and its people. It took me three months to respond to the calls I received from people there I used to work with; the sense of connection I once felt has been overtaken by disillusionment.
This feeling was widely shared throughout Israel. A poll released by the Council for a Secure America found that 65% of Jewish Israelis now oppose a two-state solution and that nearly half (44%) have moved toward opposition as a direct result of the Oct. 7 massacre.
Despite the grim reality of the current situation, I believe there is still hope for the future. A two-state solution—a change from the de facto three-state situation that currently exists—still has potential, but it has a long road to travel. As a businessman and pragmatist, I believe that re-establishing commerce and constructing new infrastructure could play a crucial role in bridging the divide, rebuilding trust, as well as fostering cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.
While the terrible events of Oct. 7 have caused deep scars, we cannot live in a state of hatred or anger forever. While the brutality inflicted upon our children and women has strained my capacity for forgiveness, I am hopeful that, in time, healing can begin. By focusing on the shared goals of providing the best possible lives for our two populations, there is a possibility to rebuild relationships and move towards a more peaceful and prosperous future.
