Let’s break the Palestinian-Israeli impasse as we the people

The seemingly intransigent and tragic conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has lasted many generations, resulting in perpetual war, death of innocents and combatants alike, pain, grief, suffering, terrorism, hopelessness, denial, separation of families, loss of property and material possessions, and a numbing of the senses. The entire planet and all its inhabitants have been negatively affected by every detail, small and great, of this perennial impasse.  

Is there any way out of the morass, or will this current reality never change? I am not a mystical sage. I have no magic crystal ball in which to gaze. No beautiful doves are ready to take wing on my signal. 

Related:

An informed populace makes it easier to challenge authority. That’s why they’re banning books.

And it’s all fueled by white Christian nationalism.

But through extensive study and contemplation, I have perceived some options.

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People on the political left and the right can stay entrenched in their binary ideologies and policy positions. They can continue to pursue the present course of (non)action and perpetual antagonism by marginalizing and demonizing anyone who in any way supports the establishment and/or maintenance of the state of Israel as a nation for the Jewish people.

They can also persist in uttering the word “Zionist” with disgust and scorn as justification for automatically dismissing others’ views and stances while telling themselves they are “remaining true to their principles,” “maintaining their integrity,” and most of all, “acting intersectionally.”

Groups like Hamas and Hezbollah can perpetually refuse Israel’s “right to exist” and repeatedly launch missiles on territories populated by Jewish civilians while using their own civilians as fodder for incoming bombs. Palestinian and Jewish parents can continue to put their youth in harm’s way in defense of sacred soil promised by God to three varied peoples: Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

On this latter point, to expand on a quote from Golda Meir, the fourth Israeli Prime Minister and a founder of the state: Peace will come when the Arabs [and Jews] will love their children more than they hate [each other].  

The Israeli government and leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas can remain intransigent on several critical issues while failing to move forward on good-faith peace efforts and agreements. They might feel concerned that if peace were to break out in the region, then current and future levels of foreign aid from outside nations and individuals might dry up with these sources no longer seeing further need for aid. They may also use the Machiavellian tactic of “divide and conquer” to better ensure their chances of retaining and enhancing power.

The Israeli government can accept the terms for peace issued by some leaders of the “Boycott, Divest, and Sanction” (BDS) movement by:

1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands that International law recognizes the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the Golan Heights as occupied by Israel.

2. Granting Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel their right to full equality

3. Respecting, protecting, and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in the United Nation’s Resolution 194

The United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948 is meant “as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.”

Central to the UDHR in Article 13(b): “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.” Palestinian refugees are entitled to this binding universal right in the same way that all other refugees are, whether they come from Bosnia, Rwanda, South Africa, or anywhere else.

The U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) passed Resolution 2535 in 1969. It recognizes “that the problem of Palestine Arab refugees has arisen from the denial of their inalienable rights under the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” In addition, UNGA resolution 3236 reaffirms “the inalienable right of the Palestinians to return to their homes and property from which they have been displaced and uprooted, and calls for their return.”

I am not aware of many BDS leaders advocating for a “Two-State Solution” or even for a “One-State Solution.” If the Israeli government were to accept Palestinian’s “right of return,” would this ensure peaceful co-existence or, rather, the termination of the state of Israel, or somewhere between these outcomes?

One can demand that Jewish people, native and immigrant, go back “home” to their countries of origin, no matter where that may be and no matter the current stage of (un)rest. On this account, one can also demand that all non-indigenous non-First Nations peoples evacuate North and South America and the Caribbean for their ancestral homes as well.

Another option, however, includes stepping back and taking a 30,000-foot overhead view so we can comprehend where we have been and possibly chart a different path forward by considering ourselves as both simultaneously pro-Palestine and as pro-Israel, and by seeing these positions as not mutually exclusive or contradictory.

Like myself, for those who fundamentally oppose the concept of any nation with an official or unofficial religion, either de jure (by law) or de facto (by fact), and, therefore, contest the existence of any theocratic state, and, in particular, Israel, I am attempting to suspend my judgment on this point for the time being.  

I have personally determined that a Jewish state is critical if the Jewish people are to survive physically, religiously, and ethnically as a people. I have several reasons for coming to this conclusion, which I have discussed in other commentaries. (I base my reasons on my study of history, which shows clearly that no nation has, for the long-term, protected and defended the rights of its Jewish residents freely to practice their faith, to attain and maintain full citizenship rights, and to have rights of protection from state-supported or state-sponsored violence and violence from the people).

I must, however, qualify my endorsement for a Jewish state with my suggestions for moving forward.

First, to be clear, I would have much preferred to have seen the creation of a Jewish state following World War II carved out from lands in eastern Germany through western Poland. Having stated this, however, these are my suggestions:  

·       Israel must end the occupation of all Palestinian lands confiscated since the 1967 War. Israel should either return the territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 War or negotiate a “land swap” agreement arrived at by the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority in the context of non-partisan international negotiators.

·       Israel must close and return all so-called “settlements” on the occupied territories, unless and until compromise solutions to this issue are negotiated.

·       Israel must grant full and complete citizenship rights to all persons living as permanent residents in Israel regardless of religious, ethnic, or political backgrounds and affiliations.

·       All Israeli government buildings and proceedings must move from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv or another location of choice within the negotiated borders of Israel.

·       Jerusalem should be constructed as an international city and should be internationally controlled and defended with privately owned properties and free and open access.

·       Establish two states, Israel and Palestine (or any other name of the Palestinians’ choice).

·       Each country, Israel and Palestine, can and should join in a NATO-type alliance with other countries with the equivalent of Article 5 in the NATO charter stating that if either of these countries is attacked by the other or by another country, member nations from their respective alliances will join them in defensive measures. These alliances should be composed of Western and Middle-Eastern/Eastern nations to better ensure against the chances of proxy wars between East and West.

·       Nations throughout the world must officially recognize Israel and Palestine, set up official embassies staffed by ambassadors and support personnel.

·       Palestine must be admitted to the United Nations as a bone fide country with all the rights and privileges this entails. 

·       Allied countries need to continue current or increased rates of economic aid to the reconstituted Israel and Palestine for an agreed-upon number of years (minimum 15).

·       All nations need to ensure the normalization of relations with Israel and Palestine, including direct flights from their nations to both Israel and Palestine.

·       Strong anti-discrimination policies and enforcement procedures must be provided to uniformly and consistently protect residents and visitors of these nations of their civil and human rights.

·       Student, educator, business, arts, agriculture, science, technology, and other exchange programs between the two nations should be instituted to provide a means to perpetuate understanding and cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis.

I welcome additional items to add to this list.

I am certain that the clear majority will automatically reject some or even most of these suggestions, and quite possibly, for this reason, the list might ultimately prove ineffective as a compromise framework.

But since governments and their representatives have not been able or even willing to bring equitable and lasting peace to the Middle East, I hope we as all the people will finally have a voice, a seat at the figurative and literal table.

Maybe if more people stand firmly as both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel, maybe we can break the age-old bypass and reach a peaceful conclusion. End the binary, bring on peace. What a concept.