A year after Oct. 7, Israel has the chance to remake its future — for better or worse

It is somehow fitting that the High Holidays coincide with one of the grimmest anniversaries in Jewish history: That of Oct. 7, 2023, the day that thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, massacred almost 1,200 people with astonishing barbarity, kidnapped about 250 more and sparked a year of war that now threatens to spiral out of control.

After 12 months of conflict and devastation, Israel’s people are traumatized and its economy battered. And as waves of antisemitism spread around the world, the country stands at a moment of decision that could well define its future.

Israel’s leadership articulated what it does not want reasonably well in 5784, the year that has just passed: It does not want Hamas to remain in power in the Gaza strip, and it also can no longer tolerate the Hezbollah militia arrayed along its northern border. It has pursued the aims of seriously degrading both forces with decent success by military means.