Gaza Proves “Land for Peace” Isn’t the Solution

In June 2004, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced plans to unilaterally disengage from Gaza. Gaza was a territory that Israel had won during the Six-Day War in 1967. Israel hoped that withdrawing from Gaza would be an important step toward lasting peace with the Palestinians.

In 2005, Israel left Gaza, uprooting 1,700 families and 21 Jewish communities. Schools and synagogues were closed, and graves and military bases relocated. Greenhouses and other structures from previous Israeli communities were left behind for Palestinians’ use and benefit. Yet upon Israel’s withdrawal, Palestinians instead entered these previously Israeli-owned buildings and destroyed them, along with several synagogues.

Following Israel’s withdrawal, the Palestinian Authority failed to transition smoothly into full control of Gaza. This leadership vacuum led to the terrorist group Hamas’s rise to power. As the events since October 7 have proven, Hamas has no qualms about sacrificing Palestinian civilians to pursue its genocidal mission against the Jewish state. Instead of peace, because of Hamas, chaos and violence reign in Gaza—at the expense of innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives alike.