The recent terrorist attacks have brought the Left and Right together as we all mourn our brothers and sisters who have been killed. But although the pain of the Left and Right is the same, the lessons they conclude from the events are not.
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The ideological Right says it is further proof that peace between Israelis and Palestinians, or even a temporary agreement, is impossible. The ideological left insists on the exact opposite: that terrorist attacks will continue as long as Israel does not return to the negotiating table and reaches an agreement with Palestinians that will put an end to the occupation.
Personally, I agree that the Right, and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "conflict management" concept, in particular, has failed miserably in its approach to the conflict, and is leading us toward doom with the illusion of annexation.
Moreover, I still believe in the two-state solution, which includes painful concessions on our part, although we are not headed in the right direction, for which both sides are responsible. I believe that in the long run, if there is willingness of both Israelis and Palestinians and through continued gradual processes, we can reach such a solution. That is the right thing for us Israelis and, I believe, for them as well.
But those who are writing and saying today that such an agreement will stop Palestinian terrorism, please stop. Please do not deceive us and yourselves. History has shown that every concession, agreement, or significant negotiation brought with it a wave of terrorist attacks, the deadliest of which occurred during the Rabin era and in the wake of the Oslo Accords.
We are not the only ones who do not know what to do with this conflict to bring it to an end. Palestinians are also unsure of what they want – one or two states, Israeli or Palestinian citizenship, destroy Israel or receive Israeli IDs – because there is no consensus among them on the matter.
Do not think that the terror wave we are experiencing is a nationalistic-focused campaign to end the occupation and reach a reality of two states. It is not that terrorism will continue because the occupation continues. Terrorism continues regardless and must be fought mercilessly.
Already in 2002, author Amos Oz, who famously held leftist views, wrote that in reality, there are two wars being waged: the justified fight by the Palestinian people against the occupation and the criminal war of extremist Islamists who wish to destroy the Jewish state and exile the Jewish people from their homeland. These two are not the same and shouldn't be confused.
The terrorist attacks are part of the fundamentalist war and no peace agreement will stop them, and as such, they must be fought unapologetically. But when it comes to peace with the Palestinians, we must strive toward it without despair or cynicism, out of a Jewish, moral and humane ideal.
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