A.B Yehoshua

Israeli Novelist and Social Critic

I believe that in the foreseeable future, Israel will [agree on] political borders, both with the Palestinians and Syria. It will be more or less along the lines of the 1967 borders, but with tight security arrangements. [That could lead] to a confederation with Palestine and Jordan, which will benefit from an economic cooperation. The European community will include Israel as an attached community, as a token for achieving peace.

Globalization could easily tear apart the State of Israel and disrupt its national identity by allowing the escape of minds to other countries involved in global high-tech. An Israeli identity built on social solidarity, deep connection to Jewish history and totality of Jewish expressions in all aspects of life, may obstruct the migration of Israelis outside their homeland.

I believe that the loosening of the Gordian knot between religion and nationality will help in increasing social integration and sense of equality among the Arab-Palestinian minority in Israel, to the point of affiliation of some of them within Israeli society.

At the start of the 20th century only 1 percent of the Jews lived in Israel. Today it's near 50 percent. I hope that a natural progress from a partial Jewish existence to a wholeness one will continue and strengthen in the next sixty years.