Israel must begin seriously advancing its core national interests: ending the war and returning the hostages, restoring its international standing, achieving an arrangement with the Palestinians, and expanding peace agreements with the Muslim world.Personal and national interestsShalom Aleichem once wrote of Motl, son of Peysi the Cantor, who proudly declared: “Happy am I—an orphan!” In the same vein, one might say: happy is the State of Israel, which has become a protectorate of the United