Peace is a Process, Not a Destination

Two years have passed since October 7, 2023, the day that shattered Israel’s sense of security and forced a complete reassessment of our strategic posture. The war that followed may or may not be nearing its end, but one thing is certain: the Middle East is no longer the same, and neither is Israel.

Israel has emerged from this war not just victorious, but transformed. Hamas has been reduced to isolated strongholds in northern Gaza. Its infrastructure is in ruins, and its leadership is fractured. Forty-eight Israeli hostages remain in Gazan terror tunnels. Until they are returned, the fighting will continue. But the broader strategic picture is clear: Israel has defeated its enemies and has begun to act like the regional superpower it truly is.

Before October 7, our national security doctrine was built on a dangerous illusion that quiet could be bought. We believed that Iron Dome, David’s Sling, border fences, and superior intelligence could allow us to live behind walls while our enemies festered just beyond them. That we could manage threats without confronting them. That we could outsource deterrence to technology. That illusion died on October 7.

What replaced it is a doctrine of power projection. Israel has learned – painfully – that peace in the Middle East is not maintained by silence, but by strength. Quiet is not the absence of noise; it is the presence of fear and respect. Our enemies must wake up every morning asking not whether Israel will respond, but when.

Lebanon offers a case study. Since the ceasefire with Hezbollah in late 2024, the northern border has been relatively calm, not because of diplomacy, but because of Israeli airstrikes, drone operations, and the presence of the IDF on strategic high points in Southern Lebanon. Hezbollah operatives are targeted when they move suspiciously close to the border fence. Weapons caches are destroyed before they can be used. Factories producing advanced munitions are reduced to rubble. This is deterrence in action. It’s not reactive – it’s proactive. And it’s the only language our adversaries understand.

This shift demands a rethinking of how Israel does business. Internally, we must abandon the fantasy – if we haven’t already – that defense alone is sufficient. Iron Dome saved lives and will continue to do so, but it cannot win wars. We must increase our investments in offensive capabilities, cyber warfare, intelligence, special operations, and in the production of weapons from artillery shells to smart missiles. Our soldiers must be trained not just to defend borders, but to shape battlefields. And our public must understand that security is not a passive state, it is an active posture.

Externally, we must recalibrate our relationship with the United States. Washington must understand – if it doesn’t already – that this is the only viable path forward. The old model of restraint and containment is obsolete. The new model is engagement and dominance. Israel must be allowed and even encouraged to act decisively, even preemptively, to protect its interests. This is not warmongering – it is realism.

Realism must also guide our diplomacy. The Abraham Accords were a breakthrough, but they were built on a foundation of perceived stability. That foundation has cracked. Our new partnerships must be built on shared security interests, not just economic ones. The Gulf States understand this: they fear Iran more than they fear Israeli jets. We must leverage that respect into cooperation.

This doesn’t mean endless war. It means endless vigilance. It means recognizing that peace is not a destination – it is a process. And that process requires constant maintenance. When the last hostage is home, when the last terror tunnel collapses, when the last rocket launcher is dismantled, what then? Then we rebuild. Not Gaza – that’s a separate conversation. We rebuild our doctrine, our institutions, our mindset. We ask hard questions: How did we miss October 7? How do we ensure it never happens again? How do we balance liberty with security, democracy with deterrence?

And we must do so without losing our soul. Power projection is not brutality. It is precision. It is discipline. It is the ability to strike without losing sight of who we are. Israel is a moral nation. We fight because we must, not because we can. That distinction matters.

Two years after October 7, Israel is no longer just surviving, it is shaping the region. Our enemies are recalculating. Our allies are realigning. This is the moment to define the next decade. Not with slogans, but with strategy. Not with hope, but with clarity. Israel has proven that it can win wars. Now it must prove that it can win peace, by projecting power, demanding respect, and never again mistaking quiet for security.

Good things,

Ari Sacher