Many decades from now, when Palestinians and Israelis, Jews and Arabs, will be living side by side, our grandchildren and great grandchildren will be comforting each other over their fathers’ folly and stubbornness. When the cursed regional “situation” will stabilize, and a Jew will sit down for coffee with his Arab neighbor, both of them will rub their eyes with amazement and ask: What was the commotion all about?

We can travel in time to that point, where all the hot potatoes have cooled off and all the critical issues, including permanent borders, Jerusalem, the right of return, and all sorts of compensation have been settled in one way or another. Logically we should aim to quickly reach that point, while undertaking any possible shortcut, because every mile on this path is flooded with blood from both sides.

Yet here comes cursed reality. As usual, it conducts itself as it pleases, without taking logic or the possibly of saving lives into consideration. Time and again it demonstrates to us that in life there are no shortcuts, and there is no other way for us and our grandchildren but to go through all the hardships. This is the way it is, says reality. This bitter and endless conflict is needed in order to reach peace.

In fact, this perception maintains that the ongoing torture suffered by both wounded people would lead us to peace and tranquility. The invasions and humiliations, the sieges and terror attacks, the bombardments and bombings, the nationalistically and politically motivated murders, the uprooting of trees and razing of structures, the threat of a second Holocaust and the robbery of land – these are the real peace process. While we debate whether to fortify Sderot or invade Gaza, the peace process is taking place. This is it; this is what it looks like.

Honest and realistic 

The picture is starting to become clear on all the pain it entails: Neither Olmert nor Barak or Netanyahu, and neither Condoleezza nor Clinton will be bringing peace. Time is what will bring peace. Exhaustion is what will bring it. The disgust and revulsion will bring it. More wounded and more people killed, more folly and more stubbornness – they will bring peace; the genuine peace process. So narrow yet so necessary.

This new working assumption of no-other-choice provides only despair on first glance. It is hard to draw any optimism from it or address it as a starting point for a new horizon. Yet truth is this is the only starting point that is both honest and realistic. Where do we go from here nonetheless? To a joint declaration of exhaustion. Not a declaration of victory or independence, but rather, a declaration of fatigue.

What we need is to bring exhaustion to the doorstep of radicals on both sides, because today the situation is opposite. We are fatigued, while they are the ones who are making us fatigued.

This means that on the one hand we must powerfully hit terror groups, without taking into consideration Mahmoud Abbas’ pretend sovereignty, and on the other had strictly enforce Israeli law on Jewish radicals (including the removal of illegal outposts and strict protection of Palestinian human rights.) The State of Israel must regain its ability to conduct itself like a law-abiding state, and it must do so rapidly, before we become exhausted.

Many decades from now, when Palestinians and Israelis, Jews and Arabs, will be living side by side, our grandchildren and great grandchildren will be comforting each other over their fathers’ folly and stubbornness. When the cursed regional “situation” will stabilize, and a Jew will sit down for coffee with his Arab neighbor, both of them will rub their eyes with amazement and ask: What was the commotion all about?

We can travel in time to that point, where all the hot potatoes have cooled off and all the critical issues, including permanent borders, Jerusalem, the right of return, and all sorts of compensation have been settled in one way or another. Logically we should aim to quickly reach that point, while undertaking any possible shortcut, because every mile on this path is flooded with blood from both sides.