Does Israel Really Want Peace? An Honest Look
- Hananya Naftali
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Why is the only Jewish state on earth always the one being asked to “do more” for peace? Every time war breaks out, every time missiles fly, the headlines shift blame in the same direction: Israel. "Israel must show restraint." "Israel must end the occupation." "Israel must make concessions."
But no one ever stops to ask a different question: What if Israel already has?
What if the picture is more complicated than the slogans? What if the problem isn't Israel's reluctance to make peace, but something far more uncomfortable?
The Peace Lies: How Israel Got Painted the Villain
Somehow, in the post-colonial fever dream that’s infected college campuses and newsrooms, Israel, the tiny democracy surrounded by hostile regimes, became the villain. They say Israel “doesn’t want peace,” that it “blocks every deal,” that it “occupies.”
But if you actually read history, not Instagram infographics, you’d realize something disturbing: Israel has made offer after offer, only to be spat on or attacked.
Go back to 1947. The UN proposed a two-state solution. Israel said yes. The Arab world said no and declared war.
In 2000, Ehud Barak offered Yasser Arafat nearly all of the West Bank, Gaza, and shared Jerusalem. Arafat stormed out and unleashed the Second Intifada. Thousands died.
In 2008, Ehud Olmert offered Mahmoud Abbas 94% of the West Bank, land swaps for the rest, and Palestinian control over East Jerusalem. Abbas didn’t even respond.
What was Israel supposed to do, hand over more land to people who chant “From the river to the sea”?
Hamas Doesn’t Want Peace. It Wants Death.
Hamas doesn’t want peace. It wants Israel erased from the map. Their founding charter says it. Their leaders repeat it. Their rockets prove it. Their tunnels confirm it. Their hostage-taking celebrates it.
In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza. No conditions. No negotiations. It pulled every settler and soldier out, dragged them out in some cases. What did Israel get in return?
Thousands of rockets.
And in October 2023, Hamas crossed every red line imaginable - invading southern Israel, murdering babies, raping women, taking elderly people hostage. What kind of “resistance” targets a music festival? That wasn’t a cry for land. It was a declaration of genocidal hatred.
And yet, somehow, Israel is still the one being lectured about “disproportionate response.” Spare me.
Peace Plans That Went Nowhere
Here’s what no one wants to say: Israel has tried to make peace more times than it should have.
Olmert-Kidwa Peace Plan (2024)
This was serious. Backed by respected Israeli and Palestinian leaders, it offered a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, with land swaps, a shared Jerusalem, security arrangements, and mutual recognition. No ambiguity. No tricks.
Ignored.
The Arab Peace Initiative (2002)
Even this one, which demanded a lot from Israel (a full withdrawal to pre-1967 lines and “just” refugee solutions), was rejected out of arrogance. Israel said: Let’s negotiate. The Arab world never followed up. The plan was left to rot.
Israel wanted to talk. The other side didn’t.
What About the Palestinians?
The people? Many of them probably want peace too. They’re trapped. Trapped by a leadership more obsessed with martyrdom than medicine. Trapped by a culture that raises children to hate Jews before they can read. Trapped by leaders who’ve stolen billions in aid money while blaming Israel for everything.
But the leadership? Between Hamas in Gaza and the PA in the West Bank, they’ve built a culture that thrives on victimhood and death. Mahmoud Abbas is in year 18 of his 4-year term. Elections are a joke. Journalists who ask the wrong questions get beaten. And if Hamas ever took over the West Bank? You’d see ISIS-style rule within weeks.
Bible Says It Best
Here’s something from the Book of Psalms:
“I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.” – Psalm 120:7
That’s Israel. That’s the Israeli mother praying for quiet so her kids can sleep without sirens. That’s the Israeli soldier will do whatever it takes to protect his people. That’s the State of Israel, making peace offerings while surrounded by wolves.
So What’s the Endgame?
Israel doesn’t want to rule over the Palestinians. It doesn’t want another war.
But that can only happen when the Palestinian leadership gives up its obsession with revenge and accepts the reality: Israel is not going anywhere.
You can’t make peace with someone who still wants you dead.
You can’t negotiate with someone who uses schools to store rockets.
You can’t make a deal with someone who says your very existence is a crime.
So, does Israel want peace?
Yes. With every fiber of its being.
But peace is not a one-way street. Until the Palestinian leadership is replaced with one that values life over death, peace will remain a dream deferred.
Hope? Yes. Always. But it starts with truth. And the truth is that Israel wants peace, but it refuses to commit suicide to get it. And thank God for that.
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Israel is God's land. It is not to be given away the LORD says.
Psalm 132:13-14 For the LORD has chosen Jerusalem (Zion); he has desired it for his home. "This is my resting place forever," he said. "I will live here, for this is the home I desired."