Why do Palestinians reject the “generous” peace offers from Israel?

5. Why do Palestinians reject the “generous” peace offers from Israel?

This question ignores the fundamental power difference between Israel and Palestinians in the “peace process” and the basic philosophies of zionism. Israel has nothing to gain by offering Palestinians a state or any control over their future; it controls the entirety of the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, and exists due to its aggressive, eliminatory logic of settler-colonialism and expansion.¹ By “granting” Palestinians a state, it would only curtail its control over resources and land — something entirely antithetical for its existence and governing logic.

While Palestinian negotiators have attempted to make concessions before, including recognizing Israel’s “right to exist” in the 1993 Oslo Accords, their efforts were futile as their designed as an instrument of colonial rule, rather than a framework of indigenous justice.^{2 3} As such, as intentioned, it resulted in an entrenchment of Israel’s control, not more generous “peace” offers. Palestinians have never received “generous” peace offers from Israel; there is no “generosity” in being offered self-determination in a small portion of your homeland, while foreign colonizers retain control over stolen homes and resources, and maintain their military supremacy. Negotiations between Palestinian representatives and Israel have never addressed central questions, including the right of return for Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem.⁴

Notes