If the Israeli-Palestinian conflict does not find a swift resolution, it may never be resolved. By this, I mean that whatever resolution that eventually comes may well entail the erasure of either the Israelis or the Palestinians, or conceivably both. And it could well mean the destruction of the U.S. as well.
NB: After I finished writing this post, I received an update on conditions in the West Bank from Mercy Aiken, a colleague at NEME. We decided that we need to host a special emergency livestream on Sat Aug 31, 5:30 pm PST, to discuss this. The IDF and some of the radical settlers are making life unbearable for the Palestinians in the West Bank. Here is the link for the livestream (the link will work even if you read this post after the live event).
But does Israel want peace?
This may sound alarmist, but someone has to pull the fire alarm when they smell smoke. And we are well past the “I think I smell smoke” stage. We can see flames, and they are out of control. “FIRE.”
When it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, however, it is regularly asserted that Israel does not have a valid partner for peace. And to some extent, this is undoubtedly true. The Palestinian leadership has been problematic. Hamas’ acts of terror have added fuel to the Israeli denial of a Palestinian state.
But I wish to draw attention to the fact that Israel doesn’t seem to want peace either, certainly not the present regime. In other words, if it takes two to tango, and one or both don’t want to dance, there ain’t gonna be any dancing.
The Israeli Knesset votes against a two-state solution
That those in power in Israel do not want a Palestinian state was overwhelmingly affirmed in a July 2024 vote of the Israeli Knesset (the Israeli Parliament). The Knesset voted 68-9 against the notion of the creation of a Palestinian state.
NB: For an introduction to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, see our six-part series on the Determinetruth YouTube page.
NBB: The notion that the Palestinians could not and would not live in peace with Israel is largely false. The PLO recognized Israel’s right to exist in 1993. Even Hamas has agreed that they would recognize Israel under certain conditions, which often include the demand that Israel allow the 1948 refugees to return—which is something that Israel will never concede. The point is, however, that there may be a place for peace among the two sides.
Israel’s rejection of a future Palestinian state should not come as a surprise. After all, Netanyahu has made it clear that there will not be a future Palestinian state in the West Bank under his regime.
A Two-State Solution?
In the days and weeks following the terror attack of October 7, it was in vogue within the popular media to throw out the two-state solution as a means of resolving this conflict. The reality is, however, that a two-state solution is not viable, and it has not been for quite some time.
Nonetheless, the clamor “We need a two-state solution” has been running through the media since the outbreak of the war. Yet, there is little hope that such a solution could ever be achieved.
Israel’s continued expansion of settlements makes a two-state solution impossible
The major obstacle to a two-state solution is the presence of 750,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank. If this land were to become the home of a Palestinian state, what would become of the presence of so many Israelis living in the land that would be allocated to the Palestinians? Israel will never demand that ¾ of a million of its citizens be forced to move.
Nonetheless, Israel continues to expand its settlement enterprise. Just last month, Israel announced plans to appropriate another 2,900+ acres of land in the West Bank as “State Land.”
Israel’s continued confiscation of land in the West Bank and its expansion of the settlements surely indicate that they have no interest in a peaceful solution to the present conflict.
War on Gaza confirms that Israel doesn’t want peace with the Palestinians
In addition, it is becoming more and more evident that Israel’s current assault on Gaza aims to render Gaza unlivable. Thus effectively expelling the people of Gaza. If Israel intended to find a peaceful solution, their current assault on Gaza betrays that sentiment.
Israel’s actions of land confiscation have intensified in the West Bank since October of last year.
The growing radicalization within Israel makes peace with the Palestinians less and less likely
As time goes by, the prospects for peace become even less likely. This is because Israeli society is becoming more and more radicalized. There are many reasons for the increase in radicalization within Israeli society.
One primary reason is simply demographic. The ultra-Orthodox communities have lots of children. They have 6-7 kids on average, but many ultra-Orthodox families have significantly more. With the increase in ultra-Orthodox families comes the increase in radical political views that often characterize the movement.
The swing towards the right has become evident in the shift in Israeli politics. The fact that extremist elements have not only entered into Israeli politics but that they hold key seats in the Israeli cabinet exemplifies this shift. Such would have been unthinkable 30 years ago.
As a result, the Israeli cabinet now includes ultra-right-wing members such as Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom have vowed to rid Gaza of all Palestinians. In January 2024, Smotrich, at a conference titled “Settlement Brings Security and Victory,” affirmed that the only hope for Israel in Gaza is to expel all of the Palestinians and replace them with Israeli settlers.
The growing radicalization within Israeli society may also be attributed to the Palestinian problem. The more Palestinians respond with acts of terror, such as October 7, the more Israeli society becomes hardened against them.
The construction of the separation barrier, which began in 2002, has also contributed to the distancing between Palestinians and Israelis. As a result of the barrier, there is now a generation of Israelis and Palestinians that have never interacted. The isolation between the two communities allows radical ideas about the other community to spread.
The Israeli media also feeds into the radicalization within communities. The terror attack of October 7 has only heightened the media’s demonization of the Palestinians.
It should be noted that some within the Jewish community have expressed the sentiment that the present conflict has so traumatized them that they find themselves unable to pay attention to what is happening in Gaza. As a result, all they are told is that Israel is waging a defensive war against Hamas. Many within Israeli society have little to no understanding of the scope of Israel’s assault on Gaza.
NB: We recently had a livestream with two prominent Jewish voices discussing how the current war on Gaza is affecting them and their communities.
Haaretz, a prominent Israeli media outlet, added that many “Israelis Don’t See Images From Gaza Because Our Journalists Are Not Doing Their Job.”
Killing Hamas’ chief negotiator doesn’t help the fight for peace
Israel’s assassination of Ismail Haniyeh doesn’t help the cause either. Of course, most Western media outlets championed the assassination as another gain for Israel in its war against Hamas. But does it help or hinder the peace process?
There is no question that it seriously hinders any chances for peace, and Netanyahu knows it.
For one, the assassination took place in Iran. That doesn’t make the Iranians happy. Furthermore, it happened while he was a guest of the Iranian government so that he might attend the inauguration of the new Iranian President. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised “harsh punishment.”
It doesn’t help that Haniyeh was, by most accounts, a moderate beloved by the Palestinians. He grew up in a refugee camp.
The Outlook is grim: for every one
We are well past the “Fire” stage.
On the one hand, there is the possibility that Israel will complete their efforts to expel most of the Palestinian population from the land. This would leave one Jewish state (Israel) between the river and the sea. If this were to happen, we might imagine that some Palestinians would be absorbed into the state of Israel. However, they will never attain the same rights and privileges as Jewish-Israelis. The passing of the Nation-state law of July 2018 by the Knesset, officially declares that Israel is a state for the Jewish people and precludes granting Palestinians full rights.
It is hard to imagine, however, how the international community, especially those who are aligned with the Palestinian people, would allow Israel to get away with the eradication of the Palestinians. If the Palestinians are destroyed, then Israel may be also.
According to a statement titled “A Declaration of Faith and Urgency” issued by KairosUSA.org: “In July, twelve former U.S. Government officials . . . resigned due to ‘grave concerns with . . . U.S. policies towards Palestine and Israel.’” They added, “It has not made Israelis any safer, while it has been devastating for the Palestinian people. U.S. policies in this regard have been deeply damaging for our global credibility, the credibility of U.S. values, and the credibility of the West.’” they concluded, “Rather than using our immense leverage to establish guardrails that can guide Israel towards a lasting and just peace, we have facilitated its self-destructive actions that have deepened its political quagmire and contributed to its enduring global isolation. There is no regional settlement, no agreement with autocratic regimes, no diplomatic step short of the resolution of the Palestinian right to self-determination that can provide Israel with real security. U.S. policies in this regard have been deeply damaging not only for U.S. relations in the region but for our global credibility, the credibility of U.S. values, and the credibility of the West.”
If you love Israel, then advocate for an end to this war. If you love America, then advocate for an end to this war. If you love your neighbor as yourself, then advocate for an end to this war. If you don’t love any of the above, I doubt you have read this far. So, to the rest, I say, “Let’s advocate for an end to this war.”
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