“Tomorrow is Yesterday” is the title Robert Malley and Hussein Agha chose for their recent book on Israeli–Palestinian diplomacy: the idea that what appears new is merely the return of old patterns left unresolved.
The aftermath of Benjamin Netanyahu's genocidal war and Donald Trump's so-called "Peace Plan for Gaza" exemplifies this dynamic. What was once called “conflict management” has re-emerged on a far more devastating scale, and with neither side closer to resolution.
Rather than calming or healing their respective societies, the political systems on both sides have intensified fear, grievance and denial.
The Palestinian political system remains fragmented and fragile; Israel’s is consumed by struggles over legitimacy and a drift from flawed democracy towards authoritarianism. These dysfunctions predate the war but have hardened since it began.
This hardening is visible most starkly in public opinion.
