Mixed reactions exploded when US President Donald Trump announced his 20-point peace plan to end the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza earlier this week, which Jerusalem and Arab leaders have endorsed. For many, the very fact that Israeli and Arab officials have formally embraced the proposal is historic in itself.
As the pressure ramps on Hamas from mediators to accept the deal, the families of hostages, the families of soldiers, Palestinians in Gaza, and the entire State of Israel wait with bated breath.
Each of these groups carries its own anxieties: hostages’ families longing for closure, soldiers’ relatives fearing for their lives and health, and Gazan civilians clinging to hope of respite from bombardment and shortages.
If accepted, an immediate ceasefire would kick in, all of the hostages would be freed, and Palestinian prisoners would be released. Israel would withdraw in stages from the enclave, Hamas would be disarmed, and a transitional government led by an international body would be appointed to oversee Gaza’s rebuilding.
Such a phased withdrawal could potentially change the region’s trajectory for generations. It is also controversial, since questions remain over which powers would lead this transitional authority and how its legitimacy would be maintained.
This deal, if it comes, will be blessed beyond relief. But it comes two years, nearly to the day, since Hamas’s murderous cross-border massacre on October 7, 2023, which saw 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage, mostly civilians. The ensuing war, per Hamas health authorities, has killed over 65,000 Palestinians.
The long-term damages of how the war was managed and how the past two years have been handled will chase Israel – its leadership and its civilians, – for a very long time.
Anecdotes continue to rise of Israelis abroad feeling unsafe to travel, wary to say where they are from – something they should be able to proudly do. The ripple effects of the war extend far beyond the battlefield into the lives of ordinary people.
Reputational cost as painful as physical dangers of war for many
Fears of sanctions and bans from cultural and academic institutions creep in, and the consequences – justified or not – of the photos from Gaza’s devastation are starting to catch up with Israelis. For many, the reputational cost of these images is becoming as painful as the physical dangers of the war itself.
And, it will probably not stop even once a deal is signed. This is the reality that Israel’s leaders must be prepared for: not just defending to an audience that already agrees, but explaining to the world what was done, why it was done, and owning up to mistakes. In an era of global scrutiny, explanations must persuade skeptical allies abroad as much as reassure Israelis at home.
What is required, once this is all over, is a deep and broad examination of the war tactics – were they always correct and right, or did they dig Israelis into a hole they will struggle to escape? From the use of airstrikes in densely populated areas to policies on humanitarian aid, each decision will need review.
Antisemites, and those who choose to see Israel’s actions regardless of nuance, will always exist. But that does not absolve leaders from responsibility for what made Gaza ravaged and war-torn. The claims that “They deserved it” and “There are no innocents in Gaza” are insultingly simplistic, and they will not hold up. A moral reckoning must be owned internally.
When the deal is hopefully signed and everyone can breathe a sigh of relief – chiefly the hostage families – and collective healing can commence, Israel will be left to explain and defend the reputation it garnered. That reputation will not be rewritten overnight, but it can be repaired with consistent honesty, accountability, and humility.
That reputation is as much a leadership decision as any tactical one on the ground, and is something leaders must be thinking about already, seeing further than the next step into the future. It is time to take real responsibility. Only then can the nation heal from both the horror of October 7 and the devastation of what followed.