MY TAKE
The latest Board of Peace proposal was so flawed that Israel had no choice but to reject it, lest Hamas be given a reprieve to regroup, rearm, and reengage in terrorist violence aimed at the destruction of Israel.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Netanyahu’s critics act as if the Israeli people want to fight endless wars and endure casualties of IDF soldiers placed in harm’s way. They claim that his rejection of the latest peace plan is rejecting “efforts to reduce escalation on multiple fronts in the region” and dismissing “the only way forward that ensures this tragedy does not happen again.” Netanyahu, however, understands the region and knows there can be no peace until Hamas is “genuinely disarmed.”
On November 17, 2025, the U.N. Security Council overwhelmingly endorsed Resolution 2803, which Israel is still willing to honor. This resolution requires the destruction of Hamas weapons and underground tunnels, while the latest rejected proposal calls for weapons to be “decommissioned and stored” in Gaza, and for the deep network of tunnels merely to be decommissioned, too. Unlike Resolution 2803, the latest peace plan calls for an incremental, gradual disarmament of Hamas. This is the same strategy that ultimately killed the Oslo Accords and laid the groundwork for Hamas’s ascendency and ultimately control over Gaza. Israel knows better than to embrace this strategy again.
Clearly, western leaders have failed to grasp the dynamics of the region. They may be well-meaning, but also certainly ignorant. October 7 showed the world what happens when Israel’s defenses falter, but the end of hostilities with Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994) show the world exactly what happens when Israel commits to fair and thorough international agreements. Today, both Egypt and Jordan have fully normalized relationships with Israel and are partners with Israel in securing peace and prosperity in the region. Nobody except Jew-hating terrorists stand to benefit from prolonged violence and strife in Gaza. Hamas simply cannot be trusted and only when it is completely stripped of its ability to wage war will Israel, not to mention the people of Gaza, be safe from violence.
The latest peace plan does not even include a clear process for Israeli or international intervention if and when Hamas or a successor organization fails to honor the agreement. A failure to include such a provision when Hamas has demonstrated over and over that it is willing to slaughter innocent Israelis in intentionally brutal ways, operate out of children’s hospitals, and use civilians as human shields. Israel must be granted a right to re-enter areas if weapons or tunnels are discovered or Hamas reneges on any of its commitments or the world will just be waiting for another October 7 and even more dead Jews..
Israel stands ready to withdraw troops from Gaza, but only after Hamas has been thoroughly neutralized. The peace deal endorsed by U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803 is still a viable option from Israel’s perspective and should be the priority for everyone interested in peace in the region.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There is not much disagreement about whether Hamas should be disarmed among good faith actors advocating for peace. The question is when and to what extent. Nothing short of eliminating Hamas’s ability to exert influence or conduct war against Israel will result in lasting peace. The Israelis know this and are right to have rejected the Board of Peace’s latest peace proposal.