Why does the world watch with frustration as the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians continues to decay? One would think that, in the 62 years since the establishment of the modern state of Israel, some progress could be made with our next-door neighbors.

There is a reason for such pessimism -- Israel has no partner on this lonely road to peace.

Last week, a rabbi was killed walking to his home, when terrorists in a car that overtook him opened heavy fire. Ten bullets hit Rabbi Meir Avshalom Chai, the father of seven, in the head. He was mortally wounded and died a few minutes later.

The terrorist organization Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and the Israel Defense Force Special Forces killed three terrorists responsible for carrying out the shooting.

Let us take a look at the past few years, at the attempts Israel has taken to advance the peace process and the ways in which we were met with rejection, refusal and violence.

September 2000: the second intifada

The Palestinians initiated an intifada, a campaign of indiscriminate terror and violence, causing heavy loss of life and suffering to both sides at the very time peace negotiations were at their most delicate point. Numerous efforts to end the violent confrontation and renew the peace process failed due to the ongoing Palestinian terrorism.

May 2003: the road map

Israel accepted the road map accompanied by comments that Israel considers integral to its implementation and a U.S. commitment to address these comments. However, the Palestinians have yet to live up to their obligations under the first phase of the road map, primarily the unconditional cessation of terrorism and end to incitement.

Summer 2005: Israel's disengagement from Gaza

Israel's complete and historic withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip -- gut wrenching for the 4,500 Israelis who vacated their homes, their businesses and places of worship, and turned their backs on all they have built and nurtured -- created a new chance to achieve peace, for the benefit of both peoples. We had hoped that the Palestinians would seize this historic opportunity and that this gesture would yield results on the Palestinian side.

Despite Israel's disengagement, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Palestinians continued to fire rockets on Israel from the areas Israel evacuated. Furthermore, rather than using disengagement as an opportunity to achieve peace, the Palestinians elected the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas to power.

In June 2007, Hamas seized full control of the Gaza Strip in a violent coup. Under Hamas, the constant barrage of rocket fire on Israel's southern communities increased dramatically with more than 10,000 rockets and mortar shells fired at Israeli-populated areas by Hamas and other terror groups.

June 2006: Hamas kidnaps Israeli soldier

Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists within Israeli territory, near the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Gaza Strip in an unprovoked and well-planned attack in which two soldiers were killed and five others wounded. June 25, 2009, marked three years of Staff Sgt. Shalit's captivity. Hamas continues to refuse Red Cross access to the kidnapped soldier.

December 2009: one-year anniversary of Operation Cast Lead

Sunday marked one year since Operation Cast Lead, the Israel Defense Forces operation against Hamas terror in Gaza.

Israel embarked on Operation Cast Lead not as a first option but as a last resort, after we tried all other ways and options to bring quiet to the communities in the south. For eight years, hundreds of thousands of residents of the state of Israel who live in the south were the unceasing targets of brutal, deliberate and planned rocket fire that was intentionally designed to hit civilians, including children and their parents, not soldiers and military installations. In 2008 alone, 1,750 rockets and 1,528 mortar bombs were fired from the Gaza Strip.

Following the operation, in an offer of good will and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population, Israel has transferred 668,393 tons of aid and 100,645,680 liters of fuel to the Gaza Strip.

2009: the refusal of peace negotiations

The most recent example of this enigmatic pattern of Palestinian behavior is the refusal by the Palestinians to even renew peace negotiations with the new Israeli government since the Israeli elections in early 2009.

This consistent rejection by Palestinians of Israeli peace initiatives and its current refusal to negotiate leaves Israel questioning whether its neighbors are in fact committed to peace.

While Israeli efforts aimed at attaining peace have resulted in the conclusion of peace treaties with both Egypt and Jordan, Israel's endeavors to achieve an equitable negotiated peace agreement with its Palestinian neighbors have been repeatedly rebuffed by the Palestinian leadership, who expect somehow to achieve peace, solely on their own terms, without even sitting down to talk.

Today, rejections of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's many initiatives in pursuit of peace are not unique: They are just the latest in a string of Palestinian rejection of Israeli peace initiatives in the past decade.

Israel is prepared to make sacrifices. This peace, however, can only be achieved with good will, strong desire and good neighborliness.

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