The failure of the Oslo peace process (initiated in 1993) exemplified what Ya’alon rejected as “wishful thinking,” given that the “Middle East is a tough neighborhood.” He said that the slogan “Land for peace” no longer appeals in Israeli politics, following a “move from what they call left to right; I call it right or wrong.” After all, he asked, what did the late Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon get for his 2005 Israeli Gaza Strip withdrawal – “peace and stability, or a rocket launch pad?”

Source: Israeli ‘Experienced Optimist’ Explains Middle East Reality – Philos Project – 10/11/2016.