Category | Op Ed

The failure of peace talks

Published on October 20, 2009 by Matthew Cole

The U.N. recently released a report detailing war crimes committed by both Israel and Hamas in the most recent Gaza conflict. Regardless of whether the report was impartial, it should be obvious that plans for peace in the region are not working, and a new strategy is needed.

Ever since the 1993 Oslo Accords, much of the world’s major influential powers have supported a “two-state solution,” in which the Palestinians would get an independent state that would exist side-by-side with Israel, as was the case for a very short time before the Arab-Israeli War in 1948. Of course, the split between the Fatah and Hamas makes this plan even more complicated. Regardless of any encouraging photo-ops that come up, I think the two-state strategy is inevitably doomed to failure.

I have no doubt that the majority of Israelis and Palestinians want peace and would support a two-state solution, even if it causes some inconveniences, in order to ensure peace. The problem is philosophical. The two-state solution is based on a very unworkable premise. In fact, it’s not a true “solution” at all.

Most Israelis and Palestinians who engage in violence are not ideologically motivated terrorists. Most Palestinians are sick of their living conditions. Because of expanded Israeli settlement, Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The fact that Israel withdrew in 2005 only made it easier for Israel to launch a forceful assault on Gaza last year. Palestinian fighters are also often avenging relatives or friends who have fallen victim to crimes by Israeli soldiers.

Most Israelis are not the bad guys either. Many Israelis consider tough measures necessary for security purposes. They rightly consider it to be totally unacceptable for Hamas to launch rockets at Israeli civilians. Justified fear of the other side understandably drives many towards violence, thus perpetuating the cycle.

The efforts of reasonable people are hindered by the extremists on both sides. These extremists are almost always religious fanatics or racists, who by definition are lacking in their ability to use logic. They are almost like little children in their simple-mindedness.

There are some Israelis, especially in the Likud party, who believe that it is God’s will for them to occupy all of Palestine. This is why Israel wasn’t established in another part of the world (like Germany).

There are other Israelis who don’t take the religious part seriously, but who have a very racist view of the darker-skinned Palestinians. They would like to see a racially homogenous land occupied by only Hebrews. I guess the lessons of the Holocaust weren’t enough to discourage that sort of mindset.

On the other side, you have the no less extreme Hamas. Their charter calls for the establishment of an Islamic theocracy over the whole land, which would result in the destruction of Israel and the subjugation of the mostly non-Muslim Israelis. These children on both sides continue to make messes that the more rational grown-ups are left to clean up.

These extremists must be marginalized by the more rational people. First, Israel must vote out the religious fanatics of the Likud Party. Those interested in peace must then negotiate with Palestinians through Fatah only.

Hamas should be given no legitimacy at all by the outside world or by Israel. The ideology of Hamas will always be an obstacle to peace. There is no place for Hamas in future peace talks. A two-state solution won’t work because it is based on the premise that ethnicity or religion constitutes a legitimate basis for political division and reason for conflict.

I am in favor of a one-state solution, in which Palestinians would be integrated into the Israeli population, as opposed to being packed into ghettoes as is currently the case. Israel must reform its pro-Jewish laws to be more equitable to those who are not Jewish.

This idea of a “Jewish state” must be abandoned completely. A historical Jewish presence in Israel means nothing. Countries that define themselves on the basis or ethnicity or religion are almost always bad for human rights.

Walls separating Gaza and the West Bank from Israel must be eliminated. Although Israel has no constitution, the basic laws of Israel must ensure that Israel remains a secular republic, in order to protect both Jews and Muslims. Let’s try this new direction for a change.