Since the 1600s, the writings of two philosophers—John Locke and Thomas Hobbes—have warned that without a governing society, man lives in a dangerous state of anarchy. To defeat chaos and internal/external strife among humans, societies are formed and enter into a compact with each one of their respective citizens: in exchange for non-criminal behavior and personal vengeance, the society will protect you, the individual, from internal and external harm, including securing its sovereign borders.

In the United States, this compact has been broken by a combination of open borders, DEI, woke policies, and criminal behavior unchecked.

Israeli citizens overwhelmingly feel that on October 7th, their social compact was broken when over 5,000 Palestinian Arabs breached their southern border wall in thirty places. Also, because  for over 9 hours, pockets of brave Israelis battled against the surprise attackers with little success; and for over 9 hours, no significant Israeli force appeared to combat the attackers. Apparently, fearing trouble in the West Bank, one third of the soldiers stationed in the South had been relocated to the former, when the attacks occurred.

Rumors abound. Israelis cannot believe, cannot understand, and cannot accept that the heinous acts of October 7th, 2023 were ever permitted to occur. Some believe Bibi let Hamas maintain a certain status quo and that he alone is responsible for the attack. Others opine that Bibi wants the war to continue, without any more ceasefires, in order that he may retain power and avert elections.

Finally, there are those who believe Bibi made a deal with Biden: in exchange for Biden’s reluctance to call for a ceasefire, Bibi will accept a two-state solution. Currently, while some Israelis grudgingly concur a two-state solution is the only alternative to constant attacks, none believe the time is appropriate to even discuss it. Others have lost faith that a two-state solution can successfully be implemented.

The Israeli public is divided on how to proceed. Many feel that “peace” now would be the ultimate insult to those soldiers who have fallen during this current round of fighting. Others feel a ceasefire would bring the hostages home; however, nobody knows with certainty how many hostages remain alive. And, many believe hostage negotiations are a recipe for future kidnappings.

These contradictions were on display in Tel Aviv over the weekend. Angry groups staged a “Habima” which essentially is a protest against a dysfunctional dystopian fictional society which should be canceled and replaced. The Habima was followed by a protest rally at Hostage Square for the immediate return of the hostages.

The latter demonstration brings us back to society’s compact with its citizenry. Many Israelis view the continued captivity of the hostages as the ultimate symbol of Bibi’s breach of the social compact.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.