The last few weeks have seen the emergence of a host of media lemmings around the world competing to write the most catastrophic headlines about Israel’s future. Samples range from “Is Israel finished?” to “Why Israel failed.”

To bolster these prophesies, the media gurus turned to demographic factors; proposed advanced realpolitik arguments about the overwhelming threats of Iran, non-state terrorists and Islamist fundamentalism, and even pointed to the alleged fragility and lack of sense of purpose within the Israeli political and social systems.

Ignoring the historical reality that Israel at age one was no certainty, and that Israel’s nation-building achievement remains unparalleled in the 20th century, these “postmodern nation state” pessimists have concluded that Israel’s demise is only a matter of time.

The trouble is that no one bothered to let the Israelis know they should turn out the lights as they leave.

The Israel I visited last week was enjoying a damn good national celebration. And nowhere was the strength and vitality of Israel more clearly expressed than at President Shimon Peres’ Facing Tomorrow conference.

World leaders, led by U.S. President George W. Bush, attended and spoke in unabashedly positive terms about Israel’s success, vitality and creativity, not only compared to its neighbours but to the world at large.

Public Security Minister Stockwell Day led the Canadian contingent to the conference. And while a brilliant but disparate group of people such as Henry Kissinger, Bernard-Henri Levy, Abby Joseph Cohen and Amos Oz opined about Israel’s achievements and challenges for the future, they all remained optimistic and committed to the Jewish state.

The next day, we discussed the future, and Israeli technology and inventiveness was central to it. In a panel on the “Future of the Internet” sat the founder of Google, the president of Yahoo, the former chair of Warner Brothers, the chair of Publicis (the world’s third-largest advertising company) and a brazen Israelophile, Rupert Murdoch, all paying homage to the unique contributions of the Israeli scientific and technological community. No wonder they have all expanded, or are expanding, their operations in Israel.

As former U.S. ambassador Dennis Ross, chair of the Jewish People Public Policy Institute, said to me, “Look at the world coming to Israel – that’s the surest and most credible rejection of the doom-and-gloom messages.”

There were literally hundreds of new Israeli inventions on display around the conference hall, from water purification systems to significant advances in medical treatment, and even one that gives security services the ability to see through walls.

The icing on the cake was when the vice-president of research at British Telecom came out of the audience to tell one working session why his company is spending so much time learning and working with Israelis. At that point, even we non-techies got the message: Israel remains important to the world, and for reasons well beyond the conflict.

The numbers also speak for themselves. Israel’s GDP per capita is more than 25 per cent higher than the OPEC state average. It also has an astonishing foreign direct-investment ratio, and Israel spends more on research and development as a percentage of GDP than any OECD state.

Globalization, it was argued, will benefit Israel more than other countries because of its economic structure and ethnic appreciation. Its entrepreneurs are plugged into global markets from day one. And more than one speaker reminded us that Israel is a country devoted to innovation. In the fast-paced, changing world of today, that is a remarkably competitive asset.

In focusing on the Jewish disposition to self-criticize and challenge authority, the pessimists misread the essential strength of Israeli and Jewish society. The critics ignore Israelis’ overwhelming commitment to their country and to the world community, reinforced by the remarkable support of our Diaspora Jewish communities.

I walked away with my Canadian colleagues refreshed and re-energized.

It has problems, for sure, but this is one young 60-year-old.

Am Yisrael chai.

Hershell Ezrin is CEO of the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy. His blog can be found at hershellezrin.com.