Understanding the Enemy
The Israeli left cannot bring Israel to peace because, fundamentally, they are incapable of understanding those who wage war against us.
Currently, the main agenda of the left in domestic politics is the struggle against religion in favor of a secular state (which is why the Haredi parties, who are in essence also left-wing, are not aligned with them).
But on the other side, this is a religious war for the Holy Land. They want to destroy Israel because Israeli rule over the Holy City (Al-Quds) and the Temple (Al-Aqsa Mosque) is seen by them as an insult to their religion.
Atheist leftists are fundamentally incapable of believing this. In their view, the war is being waged against us because we oppress them, because we occupy them, because they are exercising their right to self-determination, and so on. And if these “causes” are removed, the war will end.
All leftist ideas about achieving peace are based on this: let’s recognize their right to self-determination, let’s give them autonomy, let’s leave them alone—then they will live with us in peace.
They won’t. The Arabs have no lack of territory—they control over 13 million square kilometers. Plus or minus 22,000 kilometers is meaningless—it’s about 0.17% of the Arab world. Nor is there a problem with having an Arab state—there are nearly twenty of them, including one in Palestine (Jordan).
The problem is that Islam is, originally, the religion of Banu Isra’il, i.e., the Israelites.
But Muslims believe that God abandoned and cursed the Israelites, and that they, the Muslims, have taken their place as the true followers of the religion of Musa (Moses), Dawud (David), and Sulayman (Solomon).
How do they know this? Because God expelled the Jews from the Holy Land and handed it over to the Muslims. And for centuries, Muslims knew they were the bearers of the true faith, while the Jews were cursed.
But now the Israelites have regained control over the Holy Land and the Holy City. And what does that imply? That everything once associated with the Jews now applies to the Muslims? That God has now abandoned the Muslims as He once abandoned the Jews?
This thought is unbearable for a devout Muslim, and he will do everything to reclaim the Holy Land. “Everything” includes war, bribery, propaganda, lies, and atrocities. Many of them are ready to fight and die for it.
They don’t want territory or autonomy—they want to know that God has not forsaken them and certainly has not exchanged them for those despicable Jews, whom they’ve looked down on for centuries. They want to be with God. They want to be part of the ancient true religion. And for them, Al-Aqsa symbolizes that connection. And they will not trade that for money, or for security, or for land. But these are concepts that, in the worldview of the left, either don’t exist at all or are not taken seriously.
And without understanding the true causes of the conflict, of course, there can be no solution.
It was foolish to think that by leaving Gaza, we would gain peace. They don’t care about Gaza. They are ready to sacrifice Gaza along with all its inhabitants—as the Hamas leadership openly states (when speaking in Arabic). What they want is Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa. Which, again, they openly say, you just have to listen.
Post and discussion on Facebook (in Russian)