I see no point in arguing about historical narratives

The narrative many of us grew up with turns out to be much more contentious and complex, e.g. that “most” Palestinians either left Israel voluntarily or were called to leave by their leaders, prior to 1948. I now understand that some early Zionist pioneers behaved quite badly, destroying Palestinian villages and rebuilding them as Jewish, etc. However, I see no point in arguing about these or any other historical narratives. The challenge is what to do NOW!  Some form of statehood for Palestinians (over and above the current state of Israel) seems imperative. But we await leaders on all sides who have the wisdom to move forward. Gaza has been in the news, but it is the West Bank where Israel faces its biggest challenge: Jewish settlements there will always be condemned by much of the world, and should not remain, let alone be expanded. I worry also about a one-sided “Law of Return” which allows me to become a citizen but excludes Palestinians from “returning”. At a deeper level, the very concept of a democratic religious state remains highly problematic.