With the release of all our hostages and the return of our fallen – a process that we all hope will be completed soon – the war launched against us by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, 2023, will come to an end.
The war may be over, but peace has yet to arrive.
Nevertheless, US President Donald Trump, the architect of the agreement that brought about the end of the war and the return of the hostages, was quick to declare the conflict over – the bloody struggle that has engulfed this land for more than 150 years. The American president even referred to a 3,000-year-old conflict, as though Arabs – let alone Palestinians – existed in biblical times. But he can perhaps be forgiven, given that attention to detail, certainly historical ones, has never been his strong suit.
Still, it is fair to ask whether Trump genuinely believes that bold declarations of peace will be enough to resolve such a complex and deeply entrenched conflict – a challenge that has eluded many skilled leaders over the years, and under far more favorable conditions.
As we look ahead with hope – and more importantly, with vigilance – we must not turn our backs on the past or forget the past two years. We must ensure we have learned the lessons and internalized the mistakes that led, for the second time in 50 years, to a strategic surprise that brought disaster upon us. This was not only the result of underestimating our enemies, arrogance, or overconfidence, but also of a blind adherence to the status quo.
On the eve of October 6, 1973, Israel was convinced its situation had never been better. It therefore chose to cling to the status quo and avoid any action, whether military or diplomatic. Just as it did 50 years later, on the eve of October 7, Israel believed it was in an excellent position, and that refraining from any military initiative – against Hamas or Hezbollah – and from any political move, domestically or with the Arab world, was the correct approach. In other words, to do nothing.
In hindsight, this complacency and comfort zone proved disastrous. It also prevented us from preparing for the attack or averting it.
Even now, some advocate a return to the status quo – to wait out the Trump initiative, assuming it will eventually collapse, and revert to the reality that existed before October 7. This time, however, Hamas is weakened and its military capabilities, destroyed in the fighting.
Over the past quarter-century, Israel has clung to the status quo. In this respect, there has been no real difference between the Right, the Center, or the Left. We believed that maintaining the status quo allowed us to deepen our hold on Judea and Samaria, preserving these areas either as a deposit for better days, when a political agreement with the Palestinians might be feasible, or as part of a process of "Israelization" – with every passing day distancing the Palestinians from the vision of a Palestinian state, while strengthening Israel's presence and control on the ground.
But if we choose not to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and instead keep it in deep freeze, others will step in – whether it be terrorist groups that renew their assaults, or President Trump and the international community behind him, who may impose a solution upon us, including the establishment of a Palestinian state under terms unfavorable to Israel.
Israel must therefore launch its own initiative. To do so, the public must make a clear choice: Do we seek a negotiated settlement with the Palestinian Authority? Or do we prefer to leave it to the world to impose a resolution? There is, of course, a third option – annexing the West Bank and granting equal citizenship to its Palestinian residents within the State of Israel. It seems likely that many Palestinians would support such a move, preferring it over life in a repressive Islamist Palestinian state.
Above all, we must take control of our own destiny and act. Otherwise, we will find out our fate is being determined by others.
