When the Yom Kippur War broke out in October of 1973, as when the current war broke out in 2023, Israelis abroad immediately sought to get back to their country as quickly as possible. Some were reservists, eager to join the fight for their country’s survival; others simply wanted to be at home with their compatriots in a time of need. Something similar happened again last week, as citizens of the Jewish state anticipated that the surprise offensive against Iran would bring deadly counterattacks.

Last Thursday evening, Yaakov Katz found himself on a flight from London to Tel Aviv that was diverted to Cyprus, where he found “Israelis, dozens of them, men and women, young and old,” who “were all singularly focused on one goal: getting back to Israel.” The Israeli government has now launched Operation Safe Return to make sure its citizens abroad can come home. But Katz found himself sailing across the Mediterranean on a tugboat:

Among the passengers: a brother and sister who grow flowers in the Arava and had been in Holland on a sales trip. The brother insisted on coming back to report for IDF reserves. A CEO from Karmiel whose company employs 100 people and now struggles to fulfill international orders under fire. A woman who works in energy and left the Ivory Coast to come back to her kids. A high-tech investor returning to his children and grandchildren who had moved into his home’s safe room. Two young men, fresh out of the army, who had cut short their post-service backpacking trip after facing anti-Semitic attacks in Greece for speaking Hebrew. And the man who had pulled the whole thing together—a former Israeli navy officer now working in maritime safety tech.

When the sirens wail and the skies explode, Israelis don’t run away. They run literally into the fire. In moments like these, you understand what truly defines a nation. It’s not just the borders on a map or the policies debated in the Knesset. It’s the people who, when everything is on fire, still choose to come home.

Considering the current state of Israel-Arab relations, Ghaith al-Omari writes

First and foremost, no ceasefire will be possible without the release of Israeli hostages and commitments to disarm Hamas and remove it from power. The final say on these matters rests with Hamas commanders on the ground in Gaza, who have been largely impervious to foreign pressure so far. At minimum, however, the United States should insist that Qatari and Egyptian mediators push Hamas’s external leadership to accept these conditions publicly, which could increase pressure on the group’s Gaza leadership.

Washington should also demand a clear, public position from key Arab states regarding disarmament. The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas endorsed this position in a June letter to Saudi Arabia and France, giving Arab states Palestinian cover for endorsing it themselves.

Some Arab states have already indicated a willingness to play a significant role, but they will have little incentive to commit resources and personnel to Gaza unless Israel (1) provides guarantees that it will not occupy the Strip indefinitely, and (2) removes its veto on a PA role in Gaza’s future, even if only symbolic at first. Arab officials are also seeking assurances that any role they play in Gaza will be in the context of a wider effort to reach a two-state solution.

On the other hand, Washington must remain mindful that current conditions between Israel and the Palestinians are not remotely conducive to . . . implementing a two-state solution.