Daniel Sokatch, NIF International CEO

By Daniel Sokatch, NIF international CEO

We are living through a moment of uncertainty unlike any other in recent memory. We have been holding our breath since July 31, when an explosion in Tehran, widely attributed to Israel, killed Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh just hours after an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon killed a top Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr. This took place days after a missile from Lebanon, widely attributed to Hezbollah, killed twelve children and teenagers in the Golan Heights.

The leaders of both Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon have vowed to retaliate—and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised, in turn, to “exact a heavy price for any act of aggression against us, from whatever quarter.”

A full-fledged war between Israel and Hezbollah—and Iran by extension, or even directly—now seems like a very real possibility, one that would further destabilize the region, terrorize Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese, and Iranians alike, and risk terrible consequences with potentially global impact.

Each morning when I wake up, right after I’ve checked the latest news, I check in on colleagues, friends, and family in Israel. They are all bracing for the worst, living with almost unbearable tension, and worrying about what comes next. And yet, they are also carrying on with their lives and, among the NIF community in Israel, continuing to carry out our critically important work during this unbelievably difficult moment.

At times like these, when I need perspective, information, and wisdom, I look to our grantees and to other trusted sources—the deep thinkers, the thoughtful observers, the people who have been considering Israel’s place in the Middle East—what it is and what it could be—for years.

Here is some of what they are saying:

Meanwhile, we at NIF will continue doing what we always do, especially when the going gets tough: hoping, striving, and working for better times.