A French-Israeli philosopher and Talmudist, Ivan Segré works on rabbinic literature, Spinoza and contemporary philosophy. Critical of the right-wing turn of some Jewish intellectuals and of the anti-Zionism of some on the left, he divides his life between France and Israel and, happily calling himself a "Zionist," defends a progressive and democratic vision of the Israeli-Palestinian future.

Do you think that the massacres perpetrated by Hamas of October 7 justify the bombardment of Gaza, and that it is possible for Israel to put an end to this Palestinian Islamist movement in a strictly military manner?

When it comes to justifying Israel's military response, everything depends on the yardstick chosen. In terms of reason of state, yes, it is amply justified, and condemnations from major world powers such as the United States, Russia and China, or regional powers such as Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia, would inevitably raise a smile, given the way these states behave when their vital interests, or perceived vital interests, are at stake. For people of my generation, born in the 1970s, it was better to have been born in Gaza than in Baghdad.

But the real question is strategic. And I think Israel's military response is a strategic error, not to mention the ethical problems it raises in terms of civilian casualties and hostages held by Hamas. As we all know, in Iraq, as in Afghanistan, Western bombs have sown no future.

What strategy do you think should be adopted?

This question concerns not only the war against Hamas, but also the political opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu. In Israel, the main arguments of the so-called "left-wing" opposition to Netanyahu consist in condemning corruption, vilifying his Machiavellianism, criticizing his justice reform project, his alliance with the far right and, for the more intrepid, being indignant about his policy towards the Palestinians. Netanyahu has been satisfied with Hamas's hold on Gaza and Fatah's corresponding weakening, since this allowed him to bury the peace process and continue colonizing the West Bank.

In my opinion, this panoply of arguments is unsatisfactory. Netanyahu is an authentic representative of the Israeli right, and it is this right that should be opposed, not Netanyahu's personality or his political maneuvers. For the Israeli right, a Palestinian state can only be a step toward Israel's destruction as long as the majority of Arab-Muslim powers do not recognize the legitimacy of Jewish sovereignty in Palestine. From this point of view, the Hamas attack is a confirmation.

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