Twenty years ago, Israel defeated terrorism. Although it was a late victory that claimed too many lives, it was a victory nevertheless. On Passover 2002, the bruised and battered country launched Operation Defensive Shield to put an end to terrorism.
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To understand the level of achievement, one must understand the atmosphere and context at the time.
The context is, of course, the Oslo Accords that were signed in 1993. Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, and Yossi Beilin took Israel on an adventure of peace that soon turned out to be an unprecedented and bloody tragedy.
They disregarded the warnings with contempt and for years preached to use about making peace with the enemy. Between 1993-and 1996, 256 Israelis were killed in Palestinian terror attacks, compared to the 97 who had been killed in the four years that preceded. The years of so-called peace led to more deaths than the Intifada. And when we dared to challenge this idyllic "peace," we were told that "terrorism cannot be overcome by force."
The Second Intifada broke out in 2000 and was institutionalized and organized, courtesy of Yasser Arafat. It is difficult to describe the Intifada years in words. The younger generation would not understand, and, perhaps, it is for the better. Acts of civil heroism were incredible, and to this day, I cannot understand how the Israeli public spirit persevered.
The public had to scrape the remains of their beloved sons and daughters from the sides of cafes and buses. Until March 2002, the government refrained from taking thorough action to stop the terror wave and did not violate the Oslo Accords, despite the multiple tragedies.
It stuck to the sacred security agreement time and again, even when it came to abandoning one of our soldiers at Joseph's Tomb, the late Madhat Yusuf. They waited for four hours for arch-terrorist Jibril Rajoub to rescue the wounded soldier, who meanwhile bled to death.
For years, we nurtured a monster in Area A. We left the city centers and refugee camps out of bounds. We surrendered on our own volition and willingly left the citizens of Israel to their own devices.
We chose the Oslo Accords over the security of Israelis. Military and political experts said that if the Israel Defense Forces entered refugee camps and city centers, thousands of soldiers would be killed. They sowed fear and terror among the Israeli public, who mourned, but never lost hope.
Such was the case until the suicide bombing carried out by Hamas at the Park Hotel in Netanya on Passover, March 27, 2002, in which 30 people were killed and 140 injured.
That was the turning point after which Israel decided to launch an operation, sending its best forces into city centers and refugee camps, going from location to location, and cleaning up terror offices, funds, and leaders. The price was tragic but much less than the political and military officials' estimates.
That is how Israel brought peace.
It had tried to achieve it through dialogue, negotiations, and international summits. The country gave up territories, evacuated military bases, helped the Palestinian Authority, established a Palestinian police force and even allowed them to have guns.
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