n the long arc of Israel’s statehood, August 2025 stands as another crucible. The war in Gaza, once framed as an act of necessity, has hardened into a complex mix of battlefield intensity, democratic contestation, and external scrutiny. Beneath the artillery fire and diplomatic exchanges, Israel is grappling with a question less visible but more profound: the legitimacy of its very right to exist. Israel’s history provides a lens to understand the current moment.
In 1948, independence was declared in Tel Aviv under the looming threat of regional invasion. The new state, still absorbing refugees and lacking resources, was forced to defend its very right to exist against multiple Arab armies. The paradox of that moment remains instructive: a society fragile in numbers and means nevertheless prevailed militarily while simultaneously entrenching parliamentary institutions. For Palestinians, 1948 was remembered as rupture, displacement, and loss. Yet for Israel, it was the founding crucible of resilience — a demonstration that sovereignty would rest not merely on battlefield strength but also on building a functioning democratic polity.