Prime Minister Netanyahu has unequivocally asserted that Israel will not settle for anything less than victory in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. This begs the question: What constitutes victory in this war?  Israel’s enemies are not overly concerned with loss of life or property and acknowledge defeat only with the loss of territory, as witnessed in 1948 and 1967. Our adversaries astutely recognize that unlike property and soldiers, territory is irreplaceable.  As Hamas declares, “Palestine is one and indivisible from the River to the Sea … It is as fixed and nonnegotiable.” Indeed, the Palestinians have not compromised on a single square inch of territory since the beginning of the Oslo peace process, in stark contrast with Israel’s ineffective land-for-peace policy.

The view of national territory as sacrosanct and the control of territory as the key to victory in war is universal and not unique to Hamas.  Israel is the sole example of a victor ceding territory to the vanquished.  From the First Separation of Forces Agreement with Egypt in 1974 to the present day, Israel has made a long series of territorial concessions while her enemies steadfastly refuse to do so on principle. 

A critical historical example is the town of Yamit, established by Israel on the Sinai-Gaza border in response to multiple wars launched against her from those areas.  The intended buffer between Egypt and Gaza would have prevented the current conflict had Israel not ceded it in 1979 under the peace treaty with Egypt. Neither Hamas, nor anyone else, would have been able to import weapons through Yamit and all Israel’s subsequent wars with Hamas would have been avoided.

Under the 1994 Oslo agreements, Israel turned over Gaza and most of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian Authority.  Less well publicized, territorial concessions were made to Jordan in 1970, 1975, and 1994 totaling over 375 square kilometers, an area larger than the Gaza Strip.  Israel also granted Jordan the right to draw an additional 50 million cubic meters of water from the Sea of Galilee.

After seeking compromise on her maritime border with Lebanon for over a decade, Israel accepted Lebanon’s original maximum demand, known as line 23 and on October 27, 2022, Israel ceded 860 square kilometers of her territorial waters to Lebanon. These, include part of the Qana offshore gas field to which Lebanon was granted the prospecting rights. Only one year later, land-for-peace has failed yet again, and Israel is again at war with Hezbollah.

Incredibly, despite all this, Israel is now considering further territorial concessions to Lebanon.  These concessions are being negotiated by Amos Hochstein, the same U.S. envoy who negotiated last year’s concessions at sea. The current proposal is for Israel to cede to Lebanon areas unjustly claimed by Hezbollah as Lebanese territory. 

In exchange, Hezbollah would undertake to remove some or all of its forces north to the Litani River, something they were supposed to have done years ago under UN resolution 1701. It is uncertain Hezbollah will ultimately agree, as these areas constitute Hezbollah’s sole justification for its claim to be a resistance movement, (i.e. resisting Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory).  In any case, Hezbollah forces could infiltrate to the Israeli border again, either gradually or within a few hours.

Such territorial concessions would embolden Hezbollah, viewing it as a victory and escalating her aggression against Israel.  Likewise Hamas would view an Israeli return to the October 6 border with Gaza as having fought Israel to a standstill, not as defeat, and they will resume right where they left off.

Israel is a tiny country and it is past time she stopped giving away the little land and few precious resources she has.  Only loss of territory, and not more territorial concessions by Israel, will convince her enemies that their aggression against her does not pay.   Only this will ensure that the incredible sacrifices of Israeli soldiers and citizens will not have been in vain, and that neither they nor their children will find themselves fighting again to retake the same territory from which they have been attacked so many times.

To secure a decisive victory and pave the way for lasting peace, Israel must change its approach. One step in the right direction is the proposal of maintaining a buffer zone within Gaza post-war.  This would not only facilitate the return of displaced Israelis but also psychologically impose defeat on the enemy. Only Israeli annexation of territory in Gaza will convince its residents that their aggression may not have been worthwhile or worth repeating.   Contrary to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s assertion that Israel must not take territory from Gaza it is imperative that she does.  A similar policy might be applied to Judea and Samaria, where only the depopulation and annexation of terrorist controlled areas like Jenin can eliminate persistent threats and deter aggression elsewhere.

To win a definitive victory, and for any chance at lasting peace, annexation, not concession, must be the guiding principle across all fronts. In the eyes of our adversaries, and of history, victory and defeat will be measured in territory. 

Original publication in Times of Israel

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