A way forward
Some context before reading this piece:
I’m a Palestinian-American. That said, when it comes to this issue, there’s a lot I don’t care about: I don’t care about the history. I don’t care about who’s right. I don’t care about who did what to whom. I don’t care about geopolitical considerations. I don’t care about anyone’s ‘god-given’ rights or their connections to the land, their ancestors, their holy books, their traditions, their histories, or the thousand slings and arrows that have battered them.
What I do care about is Israelis and Palestinians somehow finding their way to something that looks like it might be a second cousin to a sustainable, equitable peace that lets the people on both sides live their fucking lives without the constant existential anxiety and dread that hangs over the entire region today.
I do know how we absolutely positively won’t get there. By massacring Israeli civilians at a concert. By bombing Gaza into the Stone Age. By firing rockets into Israel and terrorizing Israelis and Jews around the world. By dehumanizing and humiliating Palestinian citizens till they don’t care anymore. By creating fear and trauma in both communities. I could keep going, but it might be faster to say that almost every action on both sides seems designed to maintain, extend, and more deeply entrench the status quo of conflict, hatred, destruction, and death.
So it’s hopeless, right?
It is if we keep doing the same shit over and over again. But I’d love to suggest an approach that puts aside everything and starts from a different place.
Arguments can be made about whose land this is, who deserves what, why, and who’s to blame. I honestly think that while these arguments are interesting, they are entirely academic. They have no salience to the issue at hand. They invariably depend on some mixture of differing faith-based beliefs, historical references (which vary based on the time the person making a point chooses to center), selective moral outrage, etc.
All of this is my preamble to set up a plea to start with a blank slate and speak ONLY in terms of the present and the future.
As crazy and counterintuitive as it seems, I believe that the only way to resolve this historically complicated and emotionally fraught situation is for folks to consciously step away from history and focus on the things that matter now and in the future.
Start here…
Please read the following and try to keep track of your reactions as you read them.
1a. The Jewish people have a right to self-determination and the right to an Israeli state that reflects that determination
1b. The Palestinian people have a right to self-determination and the right to a Palestinian state that reflects that determination
2a. It is in the best interests of Israelis to live alongside a free, stable, peaceful, and prosperous Palestinian state.
2b. It is in the best interests of Palestinians to live alongside a free, stable, peaceful, and prosperous Israeli state.
3a. Israelis deserve to live freely in their homes without worrying about their personal safety and freedoms and to be protected equitably under an established and uniform rule of law.
3b. Palestinians deserve to live freely in their homes without worrying about their personal safety and freedoms and to be protected equitably under an established and uniform rule of law.
4a. Israel, like any nation-state, deserves stability, security, and a right to self-determination.
4b. Palestine, like any nation-state, deserves stability, security, and a right to self-determination.
5a. The Israeli people, like any people, deserve the right to elect their governments and have those governments accountable to the people for their successes and failures.
5b. The Palestinian people, like any people, deserve the right to elect their governments and have those governments accountable to the people for their successes and failures.
6a. Israel, like any nation-state, has a right to defend itself against those who would harm, destabilize, destroy, or diminish it.
6b. Palestine, like any nation-state, has a right to defend itself against those who would harm, destabilize, destroy, or diminish it.
7a. The Israeli government is not accountable for the actions of all its citizens in violation of any of the above vis a vis the Palestinians. Still, in every case, it should work with the Palestinians to prevent breaches and ensure that violations are punished under Israeli law in ways that profoundly punish and discourage such violations.
7b. The Palestinian government is not accountable for the actions of all its citizens in violation of any of the above vis a vis the Israelis. Still, in every case, it should work with the Israelis to prevent breaches and ensure that violations are punished under Palestinian law in ways that profoundly punish and discourage such violations.
If you agree with all 14 of the statements above, yay! We can move forward. If you find yourself agreeing with only the (a)s or only the (b)s, or hear your inner voice say “but they…” after one or the other, then I’m sorry to tell you, you need to check your intentions and biases because every statement is identical except for who it’s about.
If we can start here… or something like here… with a set of statements that must CATEGORICALLY apply in equal measure and force to each of the two peoples, then we can get somewhere. We can work to design a roadmap that creates the conditions and realities that will lead to a world where each of the statements above is true.
Sine qua non: an independent Palestinian state
I’m starting with the hardest one because it’s gonna be a tough pill to swallow. But it is a necessary pill — an independent Palestinian state is foundational for lasting peace. That said, I’m not talking about the Bantustan structures that exist today… There must be a single universally recognized DEMOCRATIC authority that can speak and commit for the Palestinian people. This state can’t be a puppet or a failed entity (like Hamas or the PA). It must be a genuinely democratic institution with a police force, true independence, and, most importantly, a responsibility for maintaining the peace that should be enshrined in its foundational constitution. I also think it should be monitored and advised by an international entity like the United States for a short time (think of it as training wheels for a fledgling state.) But, in return, this state must have territorial integrity, sovereignty, and recognition from the Israeli and international communities.
A trust-building way to counter-terrorism
Even looking ahead through the rosiest of lenses, terrorism will happen. For a long while there will be disgruntled and disaffected people on both sides who succumb to the siren call of violence and its lightning-fast impact destroying trust and halting or reversing progress toward compromise… and (as the past week or so has shown) it works because it triggers bloodlust and rage and sets the cycle of violence and retribution spinning again. Terrorism is the antithesis of trust, the ultimate destroyer of any hope for peace. And to be clear, terrorism is not a one-sided issue. Both sides have individuals who resort to violence, claiming to speak for the greater good, but in reality, they undermine it.
Each side should firmly, quickly, and unequivocally deal with the terrorists who claim to speak in its name. And I don’t mean nudge-nudge-wink-wink slaps on the wrist. Imagine the impact if Palestinian forces capture, try, and imprison individuals who fire rockets into Israel. Imagine the seismic shift in perception if Israeli forces arrest, prosecute, and punish settlers who engage in “price tag” attacks against Palestinians. These actions would send a powerful message that terrorism will not be tolerated, that it’s not a legitimate form of resistance or self-defense but a criminal act that undermines the collective will for peace.
And sorry, not sorry, but there will be instances where capture and prosecution aren’t viable options. In those cases, the individuals in question should be killed. (I will avoid words like ‘eliminated’ to ensure I’m not hiding behind sterile euphemisms.) If someone is planning or executing acts that will result in the loss of innocent lives and there’s no way to stop them other than force, then force must be used. This is not an endorsement of extrajudicial killings; it’s a recognition of our grim reality, and I’m reasonably sure that the FAFO principle holds here.
Dealing with terrorism is a moral imperative. Every rocket fired, every suicide bombing, and every act of terror delegitimizes the genuine grievances and aspirations of millions. It’s a slap in the face to everyone who dreams of a better, more peaceful future. And it needs to be stopped by force as necessary.
If we’re serious about moving forward, about building a future based on mutual respect and mutual interests, then we need to tackle the issue of terrorism head-on, without flinching, without making excuses, and without resorting to the same tired old tactics that have gotten us nowhere. We need to be brave, be bold, and, above all, be honest with each other, but more importantly, with ourselves.
International involvement
The international community’s role in this is imperative. We need external (and fair) go-betweens to help push, persuade, cajole, nudge, and ultimately facilitate dialogue by creating political space where Israelis and Palestinians can come together and hash things out with guarantees from neutral parties to help maintain agreements and help the parties navigate the thorniest issues.
As the world’s reigning hegemon, the U.S. has a unique role in holding both sides accountable by bringing to bear its clout to ensure that both Israelis and Palestinians stick to their commitments and calling out violations, irrespective of who commits them. It means imposing sanctions or cutting aid to either side if they renege on their promises. It means not turning a blind eye when either side steps out of line. The U.S. should lead the charge here, rallying other nations to join in holding both sides accountable and playing a role in monitoring and verifying actions on the ground, whether it’s helping oversee elections, ensuring that aid reaches its intended recipients, or advising and helping structure trust-building measures that move us closer to peace.
The U.S. should use its global platform to advocate for a just and lasting peace and build a coalition of other nations, international organizations, and NGOs committed to seeing this through. This isn’t just about pooling resources; it’s about pooling legitimacy. The more diverse the group, the harder it is for either side to dismiss its efforts.
The ultimate goal here is to create a self-sustaining framework for peace that doesn’t require constant international intervention. But to get there, we need the international community to be actively, fairly, and transparently involved, at least for a while, holding both sides accountable for their actions or lack thereof until some muscle memory and trust is built.
The hardliners
Hardliners exist on both sides of this conflict. These people want to fulfill their maximalist dreams and see compromise as a dirty word. People who view the other side as an existential threat and view concession as a sign of weakness and steps towards peace as steps towards defeat.
The problem with hardliners is how loudly their views are amplified. In our age of social media echo chambers and sensationalist news, the most extreme voices often drown out the moderate ones (look at Xitter FFS). And as they capture the oxygen in the room, they become the face of the conflict, defining the narrative and, by extension, the range of acceptable solutions. This is a distortion of reality that we can ill afford.
The solution here is leadership. It plays a crucial role here. Politicians who pander to these extreme elements for short-term political gains are part of the problem (Bibi? Abbas?). Leadership isn’t about telling people what they want to hear; it’s about telling them what they need to hear. In this case, it’s about challenging counter-productive hardline views and laying out the case for a peace that includes compromise and coexistence.
And similar to the terrorism question, each side needs to take responsibility for its own hardliners. This isn’t something that can be outsourced to the international community or blamed on the other side. These are categorically internal issues that can only be solved with internal solutions. Whether it’s through education, community outreach, or legal means, these extreme elements need to be addressed head-on because ignoring the hardliners or dismissing them as a fringe element is dumb as fuck. They may be a minority, but they’re a vocal and often influential one, which, left unchecked, can derail peace initiatives, turn public opinion against compromise, and perpetuate the cycle of violence and retribution.
Each side needs to challenge, confront, and isolate hardliners and their views by creating political and social environments where extreme views are pushed to the margins, and the focus is on what unites us, not what divides us.
How each side deals with its hardliners is an opportunity to show that the majority wants peace, that the loudest voices are not always the most numerous, and that compromise is not a sign of weakness but a hallmark of strength.
Wrapping this up: I know… it’s a fucking pipe-dream
I get it. None of this shit is going to happen. It’s, at best, a lovely, optimistic pipe dream, but a pipe dream nonetheless.
I cannot get us there, and I’m not naive enough to think that just because something sounds good on paper, it will magically manifest.
But I guess I comfort myself with the idea that everything that happens starts as an idea that sometimes seemed impossible until it wasn’t.
I don’t know how to bridge the incredible divides of mistrust, how to silence the drums of war that have been beating for so long they’ve become the soundtrack at the world’s worst discotheque.
That said, I do know that the status quo is untenable. It’s a ticking time bomb we’re all sitting on and pretending it’s the comfiest La-Z-Boy ever.
So fucking sue me. I dare to dream. I dare to imagine a world where Israelis and Palestinians coexist, not just as neighbors but as partners.
Because here’s the funny part of this entire conflict… I’ve never met two groups of people more similar than Israelis and Palestinians… Given the context of the conflict, it’s honestly sad how much more we are the same than we are different.
I don’t have the answers. But I hope that someone, somewhere, does. And when that person steps forward, when that plan is laid out, sign me the fuck up.
So I dream because the alternative is a living nightmare for millions of people who just want to live their lives.
Thanks for listening. :)
