Missed Opportunities: “War over Compromise”
While Israel’s leaders accepted the UN Partition Plan, the Arab leadership rejected it, choosing war over compromise.
In 1948, the United Nations made a momentous decision to establish a Jewish state and an Arab state in the land of British Mandate Palestine. This historic resolution offered a foundation for two nations to coexist peacefully. However, the path since has been marked by a series of missed opportunities, lost lives, and entrenched divisions.
The State of Israel was born on May 14, 1948, amidst fierce opposition from neighbouring Arab states. While Israel’s leaders accepted the UN Partition Plan, the Arab leadership rejected it, choosing war over compromise. Golda Meir, one of Israel’s founding leaders, famously observed: “We can forgive them for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.” This stark statement encapsulates the persistent barriers to peace—a prioritisation of conflict over the wellbeing of future generations.
A History of Missed Opportunities
From the outset, opportunities for peace were repeatedly squandered. Abba Eban, the eloquent Israeli diplomat, once remarked that “the Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” The 1948 rejection of the Partition Plan was the first in a long list of such moments.
In 1967, following the Six-Day War, Israel offered to return captured territories in exchange for peace. The Arab League responded with the Khartoum Resolution: “No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel.” Again, the prospect of peaceful coexistence was set aside for intransigence.
The Oslo Accords in the 1990s brought a glimmer of hope. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn under the auspices of U.S. President Bill Clinton. Clinton, reflecting on these negotiations, later remarked, “The Palestinians have been given numerous opportunities to establish a state, and they have blown every one of them.” Despite these efforts, the promise of Oslo unravelled amid mutual distrust, violence, and the rise of Hamas as a dominant force.
Incentivising Bad Behaviour
The term “The Occupation” has become a catch-all phrase with meanings that differ depending on who is speaking. For some, particularly those with genocidal intent, it refers to the very existence of Israel. For others, it relates to the divisions of the West Bank into Areas A, B, and C. However, the continued presence of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in these territories is, in my view, unavoidable until a Palestinian leader emerges who is willing to bury the hatchet and live peacefully with their Israeli neighbour behind internationally recognised borders.
Efforts by the United Nations and some antipodean nation-states are counterproductive, as they perpetuate the illusion that Palestinian intransigence will eventually yield results. Instead of encouraging compromise, these actions prolong the suffering of Palestinians who simply wish to raise their families free from politics and intrigue.
A line from Hamilton: An American Musical resonates here: “No one really knows how the parties get to yes. The art of the compromise—hold your nose and close your eyes.” Genuine compromise requires difficult decisions, and the lack of Palestinian willingness to engage in such processes has been a consistent obstacle to peace.
Palestinian Media and the Culture of Hatred
To understand why peace remains elusive, one must examine the pervasive narratives within Palestinian society. Groups like Palestinian Media Watch, led by Itamar Marcus, have meticulously documented how the Palestinian Authority fosters a culture of hatred through media, education, and public discourse.
Palestinian textbooks often glorify martyrdom and demonise Israel, while official media platforms broadcast incitement against Jews and Israelis. UNRWA-run facilities have also been implicated in the radicalisation of Palestinian youth. For example, curricula in UNRWA schools glorify violence and perpetuate anti-Israel propaganda. A report by Palestinian Media Watch highlighted one instance where a UNRWA school celebrated a student essay describing the desire to “become a martyr.”
These activities, funded in part by international taxpayers—including Australians—raise serious questions about accountability. When children are taught to view their neighbours as enemies and to aspire to violence, the foundations for peace are eroded before they can even be built.
Corruption and Mismanagement
The leadership of Palestinian factions has further undermined progress. Reports have highlighted rampant corruption within both the Palestinian Authority (Fatah) and Hamas. High-ranking officials live in luxury while ordinary Palestinians face poverty and hardship. For example, Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, has been criticised for amassing significant wealth, with some estimates suggesting a net worth of over $100 million. Similarly, Hamas leaders have enriched themselves while using international aid to build an extensive network of terror tunnels and armaments, rather than schools, hospitals, or infrastructure to benefit civilians.
Instead of transforming Gaza into a thriving society akin to Singapore, Hamas has turned it into a fortified enclave of despair—effectively a “fortress of conflict”—perpetuating war and stifling opportunities for peace.
Changing Perspectives in Israel
The optimism that characterised the Oslo years has given way to a hardened realism among many Israelis. The two-state solution, once a widely supported goal, is now viewed by many as a dangerous fantasy.
The Second Intifada, which erupted in 2000, was a turning point. Suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism shook Israeli society to its core. The violence reinforced a sentiment that concessions are met not with peace but with greater hostility.
As of today, polls show a decline in Israeli support for the two-state solution. The notion of withdrawing from territories that could become staging grounds for further violence is, for many, untenable. Security concerns have eclipsed aspirations for a negotiated peace.
Comparing Post-War Investments
The disparity in international aid allocation is striking. Between 1945 and 1952, the U.S. invested approximately $2.3 billion (equivalent to $18 billion today) in rebuilding Japan. This investment transformed Japan into a prosperous democracy. In contrast, since 1948, Palestinians have received over $30 billion in aid—yet much of this has been mismanaged or diverted, failing to yield comparable societal progress.
Western nations must ask hard questions: are we throwing good money after bad? Continued funding to the Palestinian Authority should be contingent on public affirmation of Israel’s right to exist and demonstrable actions to normalise peace behind internationally recognised borders.
Conclusion
As Israel celebrates its 76th anniversary—in a land where Jews have had a continuous presence in for approximately 3,000 years, dating back to the time of King David and the establishment of Jerusalem as the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Israel around 1000 BCE—its achievements stand as a testament to resilience and determination. Yet the shadow of unfulfilled peace continues to loom. The lessons of the past must serve as a guide for the future—a future where missed opportunities no longer define the narrative.
It is my assessment that if a viable peace partner were to emerge, there would be an overwhelming majority of Israelis who would support a genuine and durable peace plan. However, the realities on the ground demand an unavoidable truth: an IDF presence, with the backing of Abraham Accords partners, will likely remain necessary, for the foreseeable future. This presence is essential to support deradicalisation efforts, counter-insurgency operations, and the stabilisation of the region.
The experience of UNRWA has demonstrated with stark clarity that such roles cannot be outsourced. International frameworks that perpetuate dependency and incitement must give way to structures that promote accountability, reconciliation, and peace. Australia, like other nations, must recognise that the vehicle for achieving these outcomes is not the United Nations—an institution compromised by antisemites and ideological zealots. Instead, the focus should be on supporting Israel, a democratic nation and the only country in the region where Jews, Muslims, Druze, and Christians live together in peace and dignity.
Colonel Michael Scott CSC is the CEO and Founder of the 2023 Foundation, a charity focused on combating antisemitism and fostering peaceful coexistence. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the positions of the Australian Defence Force or the Commonwealth Government of Australia.
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