If national neuroses were an olympic sport, Israel would medal every time.
Our relationship with peace is like a decades-long situationship: we chase it, panic when it gets close, swear it’ll never work, and then dream about it anyway.

But after October 7th, that situation has changed. What was once a cautious hope has become a loaded word. Israelis didn’t wake up one day and decide they were against peace. It’s something that’s been unraveling — over decades, through terror, disillusionment, and too many promises that turned into funerals.

Let’s walk through how this happened.

From Dream to Disorder

In the early years, Israelis weren’t “afraid” of peace — they were too busy trying to survive.

Peace was a beautiful idea, but no one expected it. It felt like a gift we’d never be offered.

Then came 1967. Overnight, Israel controlled vast new territory. That’s when the anxiety really began. Suddenly peace wasn’t just theoretical — it had maps, risks, and irreversible choices. The kitchen-table debates began: land for what? Peace in exchange for what guarantees?

Then came something........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)