ABSTRACT
Shimon Peres also characterized the problem of the West Bank and Gaza as a profound choice between two fundamentally different paths. Begin predicted that in the event such a state emerges, the Israeli army would manage to preserve Israel's existence, but at the cost of another war. For both camps the perception that a "point of no return" exists, and that political action at the present stage may push the situation past that point or prevent it from being crossed, increases the importance of political struggle. Political competition in Israel is beginning to reflect the constellation of Israeli opinion on the greatest question before the country. Many wonder whether intense, explicit, and sustained debate over the future of the territories may be too explosive and divisive an issue for the survival of Israeli democracy.
