Israel has had it’s hand outstretched for peace with the Arab leadership since decades before the formation of the State of Israel. Each and every time, it has led to war – until the late 1970’s. In 1947, Israel agreed to a very slender amount of land in order to at least exist as a State. This led to six Arab organized and disorganized armies attacking Israel from all kinds of directions.
No One To Talk To
Israel’s main challenge when dealing with it’s Arab neighbors and Arabs within has been a lack of anyone to deal with. However, there have been exceptions. In the late 1970’s, Anwar Sadat, the leader of Egypt came to Israel in order to negotiate a Peace Treaty. It was a very bold move. It clearly angered many in Egypt. To this day, there is a debate about the true intentions of Sadat. However, it is clear that the Peace Treaty was historic, and opened a new chapter in Egypt-Israel relations. There has been occasional friction at the border with Egypt, but no all-out war for the last 40 years.
In the early 90’s, Yitzhak Rabin was elected Prime Minister of Israel for the 2nd time. He moved forward on a “Peace Process” with Yasser Arafat and the Arabs within Israel. It became known for the location of the meetings – Oslo. The agreement led to thousands of weapons being brought into the hands of Arabs in order to safeguard peace with Israel. It boomeranged on Israel. The weapons were turned on Israel. Waves of terrorism have hit Israel for years on end since.
Today, Abbas is the successor of Arafat. He is no different. Until there are leaders like Sadat, there is nobody to talk to.