In 2048, Israel will celebrate its first century as an independent state. Seen from today’s perspective, the future appears mostly bleak. Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians seems less solvable than ever, while the Arab neighborhood is in complete turmoil, taken over by a violent struggle of identities between extremist Muslim fundamentalists, dictatorial military rulers and a more pragmatic but disorganized young generation. Terror and executions contrast with social networks as the languages of the day. Hostility toward the West, the United States and Israel is rampant. At the same time, the Israeli government is firming up its hold on the West Bank through an aggressive settlement expansion policy, preventing any possibility of a two-state solution. Gaza, meanwhile, is witnessing dangerous radicalization following its devastation in last year’s war with Israel and struggles between Hamas and more radical Islamist forces.

Israel’s international position is at an all-time low. The world rejects Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, considering it a form of neocolonialism. Relations with Washington are in severe crisis in regard to an eventual nuclear agreement with Iran and its policy in favor of Palestinian statehood. Domestically, Israel suffers from a severe social and ethical crisis, threatening its cohesion and its democratic fabric. The rift between rich and poor, center and periphery, religious and secular, Jews and Arabs, keeps growing, while the current government initiates legislations that curtail the rights of minorities. Many young Israelis seek their future in the German capital Berlin, of all places. Thus, Israel’s horizon seems cloudy, at best.

And yet, Nobel Prize laureate, former President Simon Peres — Israel’s foremost nation builder and statesman — is completely unimpressed with those pitfalls and obstacles on Israel’s road to a better future. During a long chat about Israel’s future, he told Al-Monitor, “2048 will be much better for Israel than people imagine and also for our region as a whole.”

His optimism is based on evaluating global development and progress and assessing their impact on Israel’s future relationships within the region and with the world. For Peres, scientific and technological breakthroughs are at the basis of progress and must be harnessed to the quest of social good. He said that if we could have a telescope showing us the year of 2048, we would not recognize the world, Israel or our region. He told Al-Monitor, “Science and technology will force people, also in our region, to be more open-minded to the world. It will also empower young people to contribute to progress in their societies. It is an unstoppable process, even by the preachers of hate and religious dogma.”