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Kenneth Jacobson

Palestinian Delusions Keep Blocking Hopes for Peace

When looking at the sorry history of Israeli-Palestinian relations, many factors at work brought us to this moment. One of the most significant is the perpetuation of delusions among Palestinians about what they can and should achieve. 

It is not merely that from the beginning they were against any Jewish presence in their historic homeland. Even after Israel was established and became a strong military power, they persisted in their maximalist goal of eliminating the Jewish state even as opportunities existed for compromise solutions that offered the Palestinians the chance for sovereignty. 

All this comes to mind as images appeared on television screens of Gazans celebrating amidst the release of the first three female hostages and leaders of the Palestinians hailing the ceasefire agreement a victory and a capitulation by the Jewish state. 

Whatever one thinks of the agreement, and it understandably shows that bringing the hostages home was Israel’s primary value, the notion that what has taken place since October 7 can be viewed as a triumph for the Palestinians is a delusion. It shows that the Palestinians have not escaped the damaging assumptions that have undermined any progress for decades. 

Let’s be clear: October 7 was a true catastrophe for Israel and the perception by Palestinians and others in the Middle East that it exposed Israeli vulnerability in unprecedented ways was not illusory. Israel’s vaunted intelligence and military had failed and understandably parties in the region saw it as a moment of new possibilities toward the goal of eliminating the Jewish state. Strong Israel turned out to be a paper tiger in the eyes of its enemies and at that moment this did not seem to be merely a dream.

Now the situation in the region has fundamentally changed due to Israel’s military and intelligence successes during the last fifteen months. Hamas is largely destroyed militarily whether it was through the assassination of most of its leaders, the killing of huge numbers of its fighters, the destruction of the network of tunnels, and the cutting off of supply routes for weapons. 

In addition, Hamas’s regional support system has been decimated. Hezbollah has been defanged after it entered the war to support Hamas; what had been the greatest security threat to Israel when it engaged its enemies has now been diminished if not eliminated. 

Meanwhile, Iran – Hamas’s main practical sponsor – sought to take advantage of the perception of Israeli weakness after October 7. Directly attacking Israel, they were met by air defenses that neutralized the air assaults and led Israel to attack them by air, weakening their air defenses.  This exposed the reality that the Islamic Republic was now relatively naked in the face of Israeli threats to destroy its nuclear facilities. 

And then we have Syria, which had become yet another major source of Iranian power and a malignant nation on Israel’s border. The fall of the Assad regime all but defeated any last hope Hamas had of a true ally with legs to stand on.

All of this speaks to the point that whatever the future will bring, to characterize the agreement reached by the parties as a sign of victory by Hamas in this conflict is once again pure illusion. Happiness over the end of bloodshed is understandable, but this is no victory for Hamas. 

What is most worrying about this is that appears that nothing has changed in Palestinian thinking after all the losses. The same mentality that has harmed their cause for decades is alive and well. So with all the talk about the need for Israel to come forward with what the day after will look like – and that is a reasonable expectation – the lack of change in Palestinian thinking as expressed in reaction to the agreement presents the same obstacles toward progress in any future talks. 

In sum, while there is much talk of what Israeli’s strategy should be going forward, the biggest emphasis by the international community, particularly with all the regional changes, should be playing a role bringing the Palestinians into the real world and toward an acceptance of solutions with Israel that provide security and normalcy both for Israelis and Palestinians. 

Without that change, we will find ourselves in the same mud we have been mired in until now and Palestinians will continue to suffer while we await the next conflict down the road.

About the Author
Kenneth Jacobson is Deputy National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.