Israelis and Palestinians are facing their moment of greatest danger since 1948 | Yuval Noah Harari

There is still a slim chance of peace if wiser counsels prevail and other major powers intervene in a coalition of the willing

Israel has just experienced the worst day in its history. More Israeli civilians have been slaughtered in a single day than all the civilians and soldiers Israel lost in the 1956 Sinai war, the 1967 six-day war and the 2006 second Lebanon war combined. The stories and images coming out of the area occupied by Hamas are horrific. Many of my own friends and family members have suffered unspeakable atrocities. This means the Palestinians, too, are now facing immense danger. The most powerful country in the Middle East is livid with pain, fear and anger. I do not have either the knowledge or moral authority to speak about how things look from the Palestinian perspective. But in the moment of Israel's greatest pain, I would like to issue a warning about how things look from the Israeli side of the fence.

Politics often works like a scientific experiment, conducted on millions of people with few ethical limitations. You try something - whether increasing the welfare budget, electing a populist president or making a peace offer - witness the results, and decide whether to proceed further down that particular path; or you reverse course and try something else. This is how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has unfolded for decades: by trial and error.