By Gledis NANO*
Israel’s past and present are inextricably linked to the concept of peace and war. Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has existed in a hope-filled duality: the hope for a lasting peace and the threat of war that seems to loom always on the horizon. This complex relationship with the hope for peace and the threat of war invites—and perhaps even demands—some exploration, especially as it pertains to the naive notion that reconciliation requires no conflict; that war is not an inevitable prerequisite on the path to peace. The Israeli experience excels in paradox. It is the living duality of hope and threat.
The dream of a homeland for Jews was fulfilled in 1948 when the modern State of Israel was founded. But it didn’t bring peace—far from it. That same year, the neighboring Arab nations went to war with Israel, determined to prevent its establishment. They lost—the Arab Israeli War ended with Israel firmly on the map. Yet what happened next is equally significant: The Israeli government, in the name of “Independence,” began to memorialize the event not as a war, but as a peace effort.
Israel’s security situation, since the founding of the state, has always tended to exist along this precarious balance of power. The Six-Day War in 1967 pitted Israel against a coalition of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The outcome, however, was a remaking of the conflict, not the remaking of the state of Israel. Israel emerged victorious again but did not truly win the peace. Instead, the war brought Palestinians under Israel’s direct control: alongside the territory of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, all now collectively seen as the Palestinian territories. In short, the war brought Israel’s citizens security, gave the IDF(S) peace on the fronts where they had fought, and enhanced Israel’s regional prestige. But it was a short-term win that, in the long term, not only left unexamined the internal tensions in Israeli society and the Palestinian “problem” alongside the Israel “issue,” but also enhanced both.
Even with all the frustrations and roadblocks, Israel has yet to achieve a prominent peace in its epoch. Still, there have been enormous strides made toward peace in Israel’s history. The 1979 Camp David Accords were a significant breakthrough. They were groundbreaking because, with one accord, they signaled peace between Israel and an Arab nation. To be sure, the treaty has held fast and firm up to this very day without any signs of erosion or collapse. In my opinion, what has happened has been completely unprecedented. An Arab country has recapitulated and reaffirmed what a Jewish historian wrote in his book called “The Siege.”
Nevertheless, not all peace processes have turned out that way. The hope expressed in the 1990s by the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict might find a peaceful resolution; yet, at several points during the accords, it became necessary to reaffirm that these two sides had agreed to an understanding. That effort culminated in the formation of a two-state solution, which, even as the words leave the mouth of anyone even vaguely familiar with the situation, offers renewed hope that these two disparate societies might find a way to coalesce—to live, as they say, “side by side.” By contrast, the fears incited by the Second Intifada find both societies once again far apart, with no way to attain peace in this period of hope.
In the past few years, Israel has reached peace agreements with several Arab countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, thanks to the Abraham Accords. These accords indeed represent a new era of normalization between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors. Yet, they have done little or nothing to tackle the core issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the accords have opened new avenues for diplomacy and economic cooperation, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unresolved, raising questions about whether we can truly expect to see a lasting peace in the region.
One of the main obstacles to achieving peace in Israel has been the mix of security and territorial jurisdiction. Especially regarding groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, Israel’s security concerns have all too often led to military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. Framed as mostly or purely defensive endeavors to safeguard Israeli civilians from the kinds of attacks that happened on October 7, 2023, these incursions and airstrikes, and obviously making peace with the groups that instigate such attacks, is a hard sale to the Israeli public. Yet, what is the alternative?
Taking the 2014 military campaign Operation Protective Edge as an example, we find that the Israeli response to hostility from Gaza was successful from the perspective of immediate military needs. Thousands of Palestinians died, and Gaza was left in ruins. Yet, the “peace dividend” that the Israeli armed forces claim for their Gaza operation remains to be seen, as it appears that any operations that carry the cost of human lives are less and less sustainable. Moreover, the Israeli arms industry benefits from nearly unfettered conflict. If the neighbors are not at peace and if various non-state actors remain unfriendly, they serve as a potent market for defense technologies and provisions that the Israeli army can use to carry out what in some quarters might be dubbed “low-intensity conflict.”
Religious and ideological factors also complicate efforts to reach a peaceful resolution. To many Israelis, especially those from the religious Zionist sector, the land of Israel has deep spiritual meaning. The notion of giving up any part of what they see as their biblical homeland is not only a political issue but a religious one too. And the struggle isn’t lopsided; on the other side, many Palestinians see the Israeli occupation as a vicious infringement of their right to self-determination and view their struggle against Israel as a quest for justice and vindication of their national identity. Both sides have invested a lot of their sense of worth and long-term viability in the enterprise of conflict rather than in the enterprise of peace.
Even with these difficulties, many Israelis and Palestinians want peace. Polls show that a strong majority of the populace on both sides favors a two-state solution. Yet a two-state solution requires good faith, and good faith seems in short supply on both sides. What Israeli officials say to their American interlocutors in private contradicts what they say as a government to the Israeli public. A peaceful future for the two peoples seems to many observers a distant dream.
The inquiry boils down to this: Is it possible for Israel to live in peace without having first lived through many wars, or is conflict an inevitable part of the reconciliation process? The Elusive Peace puts forth the proposition that they needn’t go on fighting—they needn’t keep winning wars, and they needn’t keep losing them either. On the contrary, the book posits that peace is possible but that first they must understand Israel’s own history. From 1948 to 1967, the Jewish state was only partly a peace entity, and then it passed into a ‘peace with security’ phase that has lasted half a century.
The existence of war and peace in Israel points to the larger human condition of getting along and not getting along, of resolving differences and moving, all too often, to armed confrontation. Necessary, brutal, and all-consuming survival has for too long been the hallmark of the Israel existence, a reality that forced the state of Israel and all-too-real conditions of life into an appearance on the pages of history—an all-too-real presence that made peace seem an impossible dream.
As Israel reflects on the complexities of war and peace, the new year of Rosh Hashanah offers an opportunity for renewal and introspection. Traditionally, Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection, prayer, and the pursuit of personal and collective betterment. It is a moment for many in Israel to contemplate their hopes for the future, especially in terms of peace and reconciliation. The sounding of the shofar (ram’s horn) is not only a call for spiritual renewal but also a reminder of the challenges that lie ahead, particularly regarding the ongoing conflict and the aspirations for a more peaceful future. L’Shanah Tova!
*International Security Expert | Former General Director of Albanian State Police | Former Director of Counter-Terrorism
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