Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his country is not prepared to give up any more land for peace, as previous efforts have resulted in complete failure. Netanyahu also predicted that a Palestinian state, governed by an unsteady Palestinian leadership, would in all likelihood be controlled by state-sponsors of terror such as Iran, or terrorist groups like the Islamic State (ISIS).
Netanyahu said via his Likud Party on Sunday, “Any evacuated territory would fall into the hands of Islamic extremism and terror organizations supported by Iran. Therefore, there will be no concessions and no withdrawals. It is simply irrelevant.”
Publications such as Time magazine and The New York Times have attempted to frame the remarks as an “appeal to hard-liners” and a way to “shore up support” with his base. But in reality, Netanyahu is simply stating a likely outcome based on what has unfolded in recent history regarding Israel’s “land for peace” appeals.
Israel is in the midst of a hotly contested election season. Netanyahu hopes to build a conservative coalition strong enough to defeat his chief rivals in the left-wing Zionist Camp, co-leaders Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni.
On many occasions throughout its history, Israel has attempted a “land for peace” deal with the Palestinians.
With the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel became the first country to offer Palestinians self-governing land. However, the Palestinian authorities continued to indoctrinate its youth and further radicalize its population, which would ultimately result in the Second Intifada.
In 2005, Israel forcibly removed all Jews from the Gaza Strip in hopes of peace with the Palestinians. The local Muslim population, instead, elected radical terror group Hamas to govern Gaza. Ever since, Hamas has sworn to the destruction of Israel as its chief goal.