No peace without direct negotiations

This week, at the UN General Assembly, the Palestinian Authority will attempt to push forward a resolution that is yet another step toward escalating the conflict and bypass direct negotiations with Israel, as agreed upon in the Oslo Accords. The Palestinian draft resolution seeks to undermine Israel’s basic right to protect its civilians and presents a biased view of reality by erasing the core issue of Palestinian terrorism. In the fantasy world of this resolution, thousands of missiles have not been fired at Israelis by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) from areas Israel evacuated in Gaza. Thousands more have not been launched by Hezbollah from areas Israel withdrew from in Lebanon. Also absent are the repeated attacks from Syria, Iraq, Yemen and, most notably, from the orchestrator of these proxies, Iran, which openly expresses its desire to annihilate Israel.

Following the Oct. 7 attacks, in which Hamas brutally murdered over 1,100 Israeli civilians and took 250 hostages – among them two Filipinos who were later released – the resolution overlooks Israel’s legitimate security concerns and the deep historical connection of the Israeli people to their homeland. Its call to limit Israel’s security capabilities is a clear attempt to erode Israel’s ability to protect its citizens – Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze and others alike.

The resolution calls for Israel to withdraw unconditionally from areas from which it is currently being attacked. It similarly turns a blind eye to the reality of a vast network of terror tunnels and missile depots in Gaza. It makes no mention of the painstakingly negotiated agreements between Israel and the Palestinians and obscures the simple fact that, 19 years ago, Israel did precisely what the resolution asks for: a full withdrawal from Gaza. The result was not peace, but the disastrous takeover by fundamentalist Islamic terrorists supported by Iran, who turned the Gaza Strip into the stronghold of “Hamastan.”

The Palestinian leadership’s continuous efforts are designed to bash Israel and gather international support to compel Israel to make concessions without offering anything in return. Their aim is to undermine Israel’s legitimacy through political manipulations. This policy perpetuates the conflict and reflects the decades-long brinkmanship strategy of the Palestinian Authority, which prefers a zero-sum game over pursuing compromise. Notably, the Palestinian Authority has not condemned the massacres and atrocities of Oct. 7. On the contrary, they justify them, expressing support for the actions of Hamas and the PIJ.

While Israeli children are taught peace songs and the basic value of the word “Shalom” from kindergarten, the Palestinian education system – in Gaza as well as in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) – teaches its children hatred and antisemitism, legitimizing violence against Jews and the obliteration of Israel.

Israel has repeatedly demonstrated its sincere desire to live in peace with its neighbors, Palestinians included, and has never rejected serious proposals, as evidenced by peace agreements with Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.

Therefore, the Palestinian resolution contradicts the core principle upon which all previous peace accords between Israel and its neighbors were based: that the resolution of the conflict can only be achieved through dialogue and direct negotiations between the parties. The Palestinian Authority cannot avoid this reality by turning to international forums. Conceding to Palestinian demands without requiring them to move toward reconciliation with Israel, as former enemies in Europe did after World War II, will not bring peace but instead prepare the ground for the next war. Peace cannot be achieved through one-sided resolutions or international tribunals. Those genuinely committed to peace must reject this resolution and advocate for direct, bilateral negotiations without preconditions.

Voting against this resolution is not a vote against international law or the ICJ. It is a vote against the politicization and misuse of these institutions to serve the narrow political agenda of Palestinian rejectionism of peaceful coexistence. This resolution will only serve to reward terrorism, which is a global concern, and deepen the divide between Israelis and Palestinians, thus moving us further away from peace.

Those who seek peace should oppose the resolution and instead call for the Palestinian Authority to distance itself clearly from Hamas, condemn the Oct. 7 atrocities and shift from its confrontational approach to a policy of reconciliation and direct negotiations.

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Ilan Fluss is the Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines.