No one can fault us for believing that a complete reset is necessary in our future dealings with the Palestinians. Not just a reset, but a fundamental severing and distancing. This perspective comes from someone who has long supported the two-state solution — not out of any illusion that the Palestinians truly desire peace, nor that peace was entirely possible, but because I was willing to give them a chance to take responsibility for their own future. I wanted to believe they wanted a better life for themselves, for the sake of all of us.
Golda Meir, former prime minister of Israel, was right when she said, “The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Time and again, they have rejected every chance to establish their own independent state. Even former U.S. president Bill Clinton — who had a front-row seat in negotiations alongside Israeli prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert — recently admitted that the Palestinians were entirely to blame for the failure of past peace agreements. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and later Mahmoud Abbas, repeatedly turned down deals that would have given them a state.
Then came October 7, 2023, and everything changed. Not just for me, but for the majority of Israelis, the Jewish world and our friends and allies. That single day shattered any remaining illusions about their true intention. Yet it was this past week that sealed, for me, the fate of the Palestinian cause.
At the funeral of her husband, Oded, Yocheved Lifshitz — a woman who had dedicated her life to peace — spoke painful but undeniable words: “We fought all through the years for social justice, for peace. To my sorrow, we were hit by a terrible blow by those we helped on the other side. I stand here staggered to see the number of graves, and the terrible destruction of our community that was completely abandoned on October 7.”
Many of the residents of the kibbutzim targeted by Hamas had spent years assisting Gazans — driving them to medical appointments inside Israel, including for cancer treatments, and providing them with employment. None of it mattered. The hatred was so deep, so ingrained, that they massacred the very people who had extended a hand in kindness.
This week, Israel also buried the Bibas family — Shiri and her two small children, Ariel and Kfir. The world recoiled in horror upon learning that their Palestinian captors had killed the children with their bare hands. And yet, through it all, not a single word of condemnation has come from the Palestinian Authority or its leader, Abbas. Instead, Abbas was caught in yet another lie — despite previously appearing to revoke the “pay-for-slay” program which supported the families of Palestinians jailed, wounded or killed by Israelis, he was recorded affirming that not a penny would be withheld from Palestinian terrorists.
The sickening reality does not end there. Nowhere on the planet do we see grotesque images of parents bringing their children to celebrate the death of a mother and her two small children and an elderly man as was done this past week in Gaza over the Bibas and Lifshitz caskets. This is not a fringe element. This is a barbaric culture nurtured under Arafat-Hamas rule, indoctrinated by schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and funded by international aid.
For two decades, Hamas controlled Gaza, and instead of using billions in aid to build a thriving society — with schools, hospitals and infrastructure — it dug more than 700 kilometres of terror tunnels and militarized every inch of the territory, transforming it into a launchpad for destruction. Yet, Hamas is not the only one responsible. Every nation and organization that funneled money into Gaza without accountability — including Canada — bears a share of the blame.
Meanwhile, Palestinians in Canada and around the world have not denounced Hamas. They have not expressed regret or outrage at the terror group’s atrocities. Instead, they have openly aligned themselves with its cause, marching in our streets in support of those who butchered women, children and the elderly.
The Palestinians had a historic opportunity to build a state, to prove themselves as partners in peace. They chose, instead, a path of destruction. And now, at least for the next generation, they have lost every opportunity. There is no turning back.
For Israel, and for Jews around the world, this moment has brought a renewed sense of unity and purpose. Our resolve is stronger than ever. Israel will not just survive — it will thrive. Our people will grow fiercer, our ingenuity will expand and the next generation of Israelis will rise as lions. The Jewish people have always endured, and we will do so again. But this time, we do so with the clarity that peace cannot be made with those who glorify our murder.
National Post