For some 60 odd years the Arab-Israeli conflict has been percolating, periodically exploding into open conflict then returning to a simmering position on the back-burner of world politics, usually after intense diplomatic efforts.
During those six decades Arabs and Israelis have stopped short of accepting the one piece to this geopolitical jigsaw puzzle needed to bring lasting peace to the region. That is the mutual acceptance by Israel and the Palestinians of each other and recognizing that a two-state solution is the sole avenue leading to peace in the region.
The American Task Force on Palestine is telling anyone who will listen that without the two-state solution peace in the Middle East remains utopic for one side, while perceived as a threat to the other’s national security. The reality is that without the establishment of two states – one Palestinian and one Jewish -- coexisting in peace side by side, there will never be peace in the Middle East.
No one ever said you have to love your neighbor; you simply need to learn how to live next door to him.
Though moving slowly, much has been accomplished by well intentioned groups on both sides (see accompanying op-ed). Despite Hamas’ extremism, an important number of Palestinians are becoming realists, accepting that Israel must become part of the solution; on the other hand you have moderates in Israel finally recognizing the evils of the occupation and willing to take action to make amends. The same can be said about officials in Washington. At the ATFP annual gala in mid-October Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns spoke of the ‘hardships of the road blocks” and said that the “illegal Israeli settlements had to stop.”
Still, if one can find room in one’s heart for optimism, the situation remains precarious. Rocket attacks by Hamas on Israel are bound to bring about retaliatory raids by Israel, who has already declared Gaza a “hostile zone.”
Threats and calls for the destruction of Israel serve only to strengthen the resolve of Israeli hardliners and energizes the powerful pro-Israel lobby in the United States. When Palestinians chant slogans calling for the destruction of Israel it only strengthen Israel’s resolve and that of its supporters.
The American Task Force on Palestine, a pragmatic outfit understands that times have changed and the days of armed resistance, and of hiding one’s head in the sand to pretend that Israel does not exist belongs in the past.
“When other Arab groups accuse me of talking to the Israelis or to other Jewish groups who support Israel, I reply ‘Yes, I do talk to them,’” Ziad Asali, the president of ATFP told the Middle East Times. “But I add, ‘not enough.’”
Asali explains that there could never be peace in the Middle East without appeasing the fears of the “other.” And as long as “the other” remains on the defensive, there is little hope for a lasting peace in the region.
“That is why whenever we mention Palestine we have to make sure to include not only the recognition of Israel, but also the benefits a negotiated settlement of the Middle East’s crisis would have for the security and national interest of the United States. We have to pound the message home that peace in the Middle East is just as much in America’s interest,” said Asali.
Now the tough task ahead will be to convince skeptics – on both sides – that there is no alternative to peace.
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