Conclusion

Peace and reconciliation are anathema to those on both sides who wish the conflict to continue until either side dominates or eliminates the other. However, there are many on both sides who genuinely desire peace, reconciliation, security, and mutual respect.

At the governmental level, Israel has consistently failed to appreciate that by having the upper hand, it has an obligation to lead the way to peace with the Palestinians, and to be the prime sustainers of future Palestinian economic development. Unfortunately, Israeli governments have also failed to display the necessary openness towards a productive future. Motivated by the fear of a demographic doomsday if the two- state solution is not implemented, and in their desperate attempt to stop suicide terrorist attacks, Israel was driven to a policy of separation. Rather than building bridges between the two communities, Israeli governments built walls and barbed wires to enforce the two communities’ separation. Instead of planning for an economically viable Palestinian state, the trend appears oriented towards a South African-style model of dependent, subservient Bantustans in Palestine.

Despite its reservations about the “road-map” and its security concerns, Israel must articulate a vision of peace that is based not only on security, but also on long-term cooperation for the benefit of both countries. The limited, contiguous space of Israel and Palestine and the projected population increase in the next thirty years compel co-existence and cooperation between these two communities. Understandably, the political climate in Israel and among Palestinians is characterized by distrust and limited confidence, but the respective governments have an obligation to create improved understanding, at least by eliminating the rhetoric of fear and anger.

History has repeatedly proven that a people whose human dignity is trampled and whose social and economic life is destroyed will fight to the bitter end with whatever means they have. No amount of military strength can prevent that reaction or ensure the security of those using such force.

The dehumanization and demonization of the Palestinian people, the excessive use of force used either as self-defense or as retaliation, and the destruction of the Palestinian economy and its social structure have bred extraordinary despair. These feelings leave Palestinians with armed struggle as the only means of asserting their human dignity. Violence reaps violence, and because the Palestinians do not have F-16s, Apache helicopters, and Abrams tanks, they are left with assassinations and suicide bombing.

Israel cannot have peace while taking over Palestinian land that it has occupied since 1967. This is contrary not only to international law, but also to justice and fairness. Israel has been very adept in gradually taking over more and more of the Palestinian areas, and that is an impediment to peace.

The Palestinian leadership has also failed to articulate a vision of peace and how future co-existence with Israel should be shaped. The Palestinians must lay to rest once and for all their claim to reconstitute what was once Palestine. Israel’s existence and legitimacy to exist must be unequivocally recognized.

It is not naive to believe in the goodness of human nature, nor to reach out for the better instincts of Palestinians and Israelis. There are enough people of good will on both sides to make peace workable. But peace is not only a signed agreement between leaders. If that were the case, it would only be worth the paper it is written on. Israel must understand, just as the Palestinians must also understand, that peace requires reconciliation between the peoples of both communities. Thus, their respective governments must work at establishing confidence based on a vision of a future of reciprocal respect and mutual understanding.

There is much to be done to rebuild mutual confidence. Admittedly, this will take time and effort on both sides, but it is easier than most skeptics claim. This is the time when the tide in the affairs of Israelis and Palestinians has come, and they must jointly seize the opportunities that it brings with it.

There is no more fitting conclusion than the Talmud’s wise words:

The world rests on three pillars: on truth, on justice, and on peace. (Rabban Simeon Ben Gamaliel, Abot 1, 18).

A Talmudic commentary adds to this saying:

The three are really one, if justice is realized, truth is vindicated and peace results.