The main thing is not to think

Stanisław Lem, the late Polish-Jewish author, was known in the science fiction community as a groundbreaking, sharp, and original writer. Many of his books were translated into Hebrew. Most of them were written under the watchful eye of devout communist censors, who did not grasp the depth and message of his writing.

In one story from the short story collection "The Cyberiad" (published in Poland in 1967 and in Hebrew translation in 1986), a "thinking robot" made of materials that do not emit heat lands on a planet that is entirely frozen ice. Seemingly, he has nothing to worry about regarding his survival – and yet the frozen ice around him begins to melt. Soon he discovers the reason: his thinking process generates energy that melts the ice. "The main thing," he commands himself and constantly repeats the instruction, "the main thing is not to think! The main thing is not to think!".

This statement – "the main thing is not to think!" – became a challenge to a regime that suppresses freedom of thought. It also characterizes the conduct of the current Israeli government. The main thing for it is not to think, not to formulate a political opinion, and not to take any independent political initiative. To stop the brain's work and hope that others – Americans, Qataris, Witkoff and Kushner, Saudis, Argentinians, Diaspora Jews, and of course Donald Trump – will think for us, rack their brains for us, and pull the chestnuts out of the fire for us. Or not, we will wait and see.

Try to find out what the position of the Prime Minister and his coalition ministers is regarding the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian Authority, or Qatar. Their answer will begin and end with the phrase "it's complicated," with the addition of statements rejecting all initiatives that include the withdrawal of the IDF. Indeed, we are strong in saying "no." A prominent example of this was undoubtedly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tireless undermining of the nuclear agreement in 2015. Bibi then mobilized entirely for its elimination, without offering any political alternative. Today, Israel can only dream of a similar agreement.

Faithful to the tradition of non-thinking, the Israeli government under Netanyahu is now preparing full steam ahead for the next war, which will be a copy of the war that was. The discourse that what will be is what has been has taken over civil and security public opinion. This is a convenient approach that does not require any new political initiative, only military retaliation and preventive actions. Fleeing from initiative was not characteristic of the Likud in the past: its leaders – Begin, Sharon, Olmert, and even the young Netanyahu – were people of far-reaching and visionary political initiatives.

When Prime Minister Begin went in 1978-1979 for a peace agreement with Egypt in exchange for a full withdrawal to the last centimeter from the Sinai Peninsula, senior defense officials warned him against the move and strongly demanded to leave an Israeli military presence there. They looked back at the wars that were, Begin looked forward at the initiatives that would be. He ignored their demand, and the peace with Egypt has held for almost half a century. In contrast, Israeli strategic efforts are currently focused almost exclusively on convincing the Trump administration not to reach any agreement with the Iranian regime. Only to attack. What doesn't work with the mind might work with force.

The current Israeli government has specialized in publishing long scrolls of reservations to all the political initiatives of others - and recently also to the international plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip - and has not put forward any of its own. As in the story from Stanisław Lem's "The Cyberiad," from its perspective, the recipe for survival is to dig into the ice and not move from the frozen positions. And above all, not to think.