The threat of civil war has overshadowed the history of Jews since biblical days and the history of Israelis. In fact, the Hebrew term for “civil war” is “brothers’ war,” likely dating back to the 12 tribes, if not Cain and Abel. Jewish lore attributes the destruction of the First Temple and the Second Temple in Jerusalem to “baseless hatred” and domestic clashes among Jews themselves.

Modern-day Israel has been wary of such a prospect, consciously adopting the opposite approach that glorifies unity, emphasizes a shared fate and upholds internal cohesion as one of its greatest assets in confronting adversity. Since its founding in 1948, the prevailing sense of “the world is against us” has been a source of pride and power even during times of internal disputes. That cohesion has been eroding in recent years, being replaced by a bloody internal chasm fueled by vicious hatred that appears veering out of control. Rarely has Israel been so close to a violent domestic clash, perhaps even to civil war.

Israel has faced two deeply scarring internal clashes in its short history. The first occurred in June 1948, weeks after the declaration of independence, when newly installed Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion ordered the sinking of the “Altalena,” a ship carrying weapons for the pre-state underground Etzel movement that was in the process of merging into the Israel Defense Forces. The second occurred four years later, when Menachem Begin, leader of the Herut party, the mother party of today’s Likud, led mass protests against Israel’s Holocaust reparations agreement with Germany. In both cases, the sides stopped on the verge of bloody clashes. The main credit in both cases goes to Begin, subsequently elected prime minister in 1977, who did all in his power to prevent civil war and took pride in this achievement until the day he died.

More than anything, Israel lacks a dignified model figure like Begin, who hit the brakes before it was too late and chose the welfare of the state over the personal or political interests of his movement.