How can there be peace if only Israel wants it?

A short time ago, I had the pleasure of meeting yet another, liberal, Israel-criticizing Jew. But it was this conversation with a random, middle-aged man (a self proclaiming hippie) that sent my mind onto a plunging roller-coaster of questions, starting with this: how did this all happen?

Like this man, I had my own critiques of Israel; the only difference was that mine were constructive--a product of my unconditional love for Israel--not an ill-informed conformity with the Palestinian "underdog." This man's leftist point of view has blinded him to the truth.  After 60 years of Israel's pursuit of peace, the ball is now in the hands of the Arabs. The day the Arabs want peace, we will have it.

Many Israelis suffer from this same blindness, believing that if, and only if, Israel makes enough concessions, there will finally be Arab-Israeli peace. There is in fact one grain of validity to this theory. The day we concede Israel as a whole, the day the Jews are run into the sea, the day that Israel is wiped off the map, there will be Arab-Israeli peace.  Or more correctly phrased, then there will be Arab peace.

In the past, Israel unilaterally gave Gaza to the Palestinians, idiotically hoping that it would be a gesture towards a more secure, stable Middle East. This was a substantially huge, left-wing mistake. Gaza has given Hamas, which only used to be a mere terror organization, a platform to legitimize itself as a valid political party, and subsequently, Gaza has become a breeding ground for terror. Kassam rockets still plague Sderot daily, and now Ashkelon is feeling the threat as well. After the huge concession of land, do we have peace?

Instead, Israel today faces more danger. The Left is to blame for this. The Bibi Netanyahu bashers, the Lockean dreamers, and the naïve, unpatriotic Israelis who refuse to look at the facts are the ones to blame. Israel can only do so much before she 'self-destructs.'

Have Israelis forgotten Jewish history? Six million Jews were massacred in the Holocaust. Jews were slaves, scapegoats, and punching bags. Throughout Jewish history, Jews were the eternal criminal. Jews were considered impure, second class citizens. Furthermore, Jews in the Middle East were and continue to be tortured, segregated, denied rights, and often even forced to convert to Islam. Then WHY is the left wing of Israel giving the Arabs the go ahead to destroy our tiny country, our promised land- our barren desert that is more valuable than any amount of oil?

It is leaders like Ehud Olmert, and those in Labor party who are allowing for the demise of our beloved homeland. By thinking that there is something more that they can do, usually through a concession of land or a premature seize-fire in order to bring peace, they are slowly, doing away with what is rightfully, justly ours. They forget that no matter what Israel does, she will be heavily scolded and condemned by the international community and especially by the UN. They forget that Israel was and incessantly continues to be attacked without a peep from the world.

When Israel, however, decides to defend herself, she is immediately called a baby killer, a war criminal, and a violator of human rights. So why, Prime Minister Olmert, do you not stand up to the world and remind them that Israel, a just, democratic and humane state, is here to stay with her borders sovereign? Why have you become so blinded by the left that you think dividing Jerusalem will bring an end to conflict? Why do you continuously allow the world to think that Israel hasn't done enough to pave the road towards peace?

Believe it or not, I understand Israel's liberals. They have such warm hearts, and such sweet dreams for the future of Arabs and Israelis- all in all, they are genuinely good people. Their good intentions, however, do not translate to wisdom, pragmatism or common sense.

Israelis must recognize that peace is not in their hands alone- it is a two way street, a goal which takes unfaltering, tireless commitment and value from each side. How can there be peace with Hezbollah if it does not even recognize the State of Israel as an entity? How will Hamas go about negotiations when it rejects Israel's legitimate, sovereign existence? How can Fatah be a partner in peace when it denies Israel the right to defend herself? How can there be peace if only Israel wants it? The day the Arabs want to peacefully coexist, I assure you, we will have just that.