It used to be said by some in Israel that “only the right can bring peace.” But the brave, pragmatic Zionist right of Menachem Begin is gone.

Successive right-wing governments have adopted the mantra “there is no partner for peace.” Of course, the Palestinians have not been the perfect partner — and, of course, there is no such thing. You make peace with your enemies, as Yitzhak Rabin used to say.

In place of negotiations toward a two-state solution, however, the increasingly radicalized Israeli right has developed a strategy of “conflict management.” The results are in: endless operations in Gaza, Israel’s southern residents living under impossible conditions, Jerusalem on the verge of a third intifada, weakened Israeli deterrence and an Israel increasingly isolated in the world.

The only way for Israel now to remain both Jewish and democratic — that is, for Israel to remain a democracy and retain its Jewish majority — is to separate from the Palestinians via a two-state solution. Without such a settlement, Israel is drifting ineluctably toward becoming a binational state. And make no mistake: The logic of the binational state means an end to the Zionist project. This threat to Israel is so grave partly because it is happening at a slow enough pace that our leaders can essentially ignore the problem without facing electoral catastrophe.