While pessimists cite an array of reasons to argue that the Jewish state’s extraordinary economic growth over the past two decades might fizzle out, the Canadian businessman Lorne Abony has no such doubts. He explains why:

First, Israeli start-ups have the best track record of success. Israel now has 41 unicorns [private companies valued at over $1 billion], the most per capita in the world. . . . Foreign investment in Israel has skyrocketed over the past decade, from $9 billion to $27.76 billion. Matam Park, in Haifa, is an international tech R&D hub, playing host to Amazon, Intel, Microsoft, Apple, and Google, just to name a few. And speaking of Intel—it’s building another factory in the country that will cost $25 billion and open in 2027.

[Moreover], Israeli companies are uniquely positioned to pioneer the technologies of the future. In fields from artificial intelligence to blockchain to water and sustainable energy to cultured meat, Israelis bring together a density of expertise, bold attitudes that allows for risk-taking and experimentation, and a unique pipeline connecting world-renowned academic institutions with business. It is a potent mix, unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere.

Take, for instance, Pluri, a biotech company that’s applying its twenty years of expertise in regenerative medicine to massive new opportunities for cell-based manufacturing—whether by growing cultivated meat in a lab, or developing the first effective treatment that could be deployed at scale for acute radiation syndrome (the disease you get from the fallout from a nuclear weapon or nuclear-plant meltdown).

In the past few days, difficult-to-confirm reports have emerged of unrest in the Gaza Strip, and of civilians throwing stones at Hamas operatives. A recent video from Al Jazeera showed a Gazan declaring that “God will bring Qatar and Turkey to account” for the suffering of Palestinians in the current war. Being an agent of the Qatari government, the journalist turned away, and then pushed the interviewee with his hand to prevent him from getting near the microphone. Yet this brief exchange contributes much to the ongoing debate about Palestinian support for Hamas, and belies the frequent assertion by experts that the Israeli campaign is only “further radicalizing” the population.

For some time, Joseph Braude has worked with a number of journalists and researchers to interview ordinary Gazans under circumstances where they don’t fear reprisals. He notes that the sorts of opinions they share are rarely heard in Western media, let alone on Al Jazeera or Iran-sponsored outlets:

[A] resident of Khan Younis describes how locals in a bakery spontaneously attacked a Hamas member who had come to buy bread. The incident, hardly imaginable before the present war, reflects a widespread feeling of “disgust,” he says, after Gazan aspirations for “a dignified life and to live in peace” were set back by the Hamas atrocities of October 7.

Fears have grown that this misery will needlessly be prolonged by Westerners who strive, in effect, to perpetuate Hamas rule, according to one Gazan woman. Addressing protesters who have taken to the streets to demand a ceasefire on behalf of Palestinians, she calls on them to make a choice: “Either support the Palestinian people or the Hamas regime that oppresses them.” If protesters harbor a humanitarian motive, she asks, “Why don’t we see them demonstrating against Hamas?”

“Hamas is the destruction of the Palestinian people. We’ve had enough. They need to be wiped out—because if they remain, the people will be wiped out.”

You can watch videos of some of the interviews by clicking the link below.