Thoughts on Achieving a Lasting and Honorable Peace in the Middle East
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religions on a yearly basis.
Under such a scenario, a modern version of Second Temple, the holiest site of Judaism until its destruction by Roman legions in 70 CE, could be built somewhere in West Jerusalem, under the guidance of an interfaith committee consisting of equal numbers of representatives of each of the three major Abrahamic religions, at a location near but not within the already crowded Old City, with such dimensions as not to encroach upon any of the holy places of Islam and Christianity.
The documentary “Is Peace Possible? Chapter 4: Jerusalem” which is accessible online at https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/11/the-future-of-jerusalem/248355/ addresses all major aspects of the complex challenge of the future status of Jerusalem within the context of a two-state solution and provides many valuable insights.
Thoughts on Solving Economic, Social, and Security Issues
The socioeconomic status of most Palestinians living today in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip is deplorable. Their residences are often inadequate and unsuitable for comfortable living. Their educational opportunities and healthcare system are deficient. Their economic activity and productivity are quite weak.
The Palestinian economy depends mainly on aid coming from Israel, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Japan, the Arab League, and various non-governmental organizations. Furthermore, very high amounts of terrorist activity have prompted the need for security checkpoints, restrictions, and closures, putting additional financial stress on the Palestinian economy. According to a detailed World Bank report published on 19 March 2013 which is accessible online at https://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWESTBANKGAZA/Resources/AHLCMarchfinal.pdf, “The longer the current, restrictive situation persists, the more costly and time-consuming it will be to restore the productive capacity of the Palestinian economy.”
If the Palestinians and Israel become peaceful partners in the future, they will no longer be subject to restrictions that are necessary to maintain national security in Israel. Such a development would also give Palesinians the opportunity to reap the economic benefits of working with a technologically-advanced, innovative nation such as Israel. It follows that ending this conflict would greatly benefit the Palestinian economy.
The documentary “Is Peace Possible? Chapter 2: Security” which is accessible online at https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/10/the-role-of-security-in-an-israeli-palestinian-peace-deal/247598/ considers how Israel can protect its citizens. Since 1967, Israel’s security has been based on the territorial strategic depth, mainly valuable for countering conventional military ground attacks, gained during the Six-Day War. However, other threats (aerial attack, ballistic missile attack, terrorism, and smuggling of weapons and foreign terrorists) have become more serious in recent years. It is shown that there are strategies that are just as good, and preferably even better, than the territorial approach to achieving Israeli security in the future consistently with Palestinian aspirations for the establishment of a contiguous, viable, and sovereign Palestinian state.
While Israel already provides economic aid to the Palestinian territories, we believe that increased aid to the Palestinian Authority is now needed in order to help stabilize the economy of the future Palestinian state and build trust between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel and the Palestinians should work as peaceful partners in order to develop a comprehensive economic development plan. To be highly effective, this plan must comprise the development of comfortable, modern residences and improvements in the health, education, and financial stability of residents in the Palestinian territories. Such cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians would provide evidence of goodwill on both sides and enhance the hopes for the success of a negotiation process that can lead to a lasting and honorable peace. If the potential benefits of such projects are recognized and strong motivation is created to bring them to life, we anticipate that they could be funded readily by a combination of contributions from Israel, wealthy Arab countries, the Jewish diaspora, G20 nations, charities, and international organizations for social and economic development.
Despite Israel and Palestine becoming separate and independent states under a two-state political solution for achieving peace, Israel could thus greatly help in the socioeconomic development of Palestine, and serve as an example of righteousness to the nations of the world.
During the peace talks, Israel should also propose the establishment of a University of Abrahamic Religions in Jerusalem, where all these religions will be taught and researched from a unifying rather than divisive perspective. Placing emphasis on their common aspects can help create a culture of understanding, contributing to the development of a future of peaceful coexistence.
Thoughts on Fighting Prejudice
An action plan needs to be developed and implemented for the gradual reduction of the mutual prejudices and mistrust that are both entrenched and pervasive today between Arabs and Jews. A joint search for texts inciting discrimination and hostility in religious, historical, and cultural documents will necessarily comprise a key component of a realistic action plan. This search will need to be followed up by the offering of clarifications and interpretations of such texts that are appropriate for the 21st century so that the prejudices perpetrated by their outdated interpretations can be reduced.
A concerted effort is also needed to reduce the prejudices that exist today among large segments of Muslim and Christian populations against both Jewish people (whether this term is defined in terms of ethnicity or/and religion) and the State of Israel. Isolating a particular nation or nationality as the main source of injustice in the world is hypocritical and has racist overtones. As such, it is in the best interest of organizations working on behalf of human rights to oppose the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement because it demands a complete boycott of Israeli contributions to society even though most Israelis and Israeli companies are not responsible for maintaining the military occupation. It spreads anti-Semitism by claiming that peace can come with attacking and defeating Israel’s powerful economy; however, it only applies these standards and methods to Israel and not to any other country. Furthermore, it provides arguments to the far-right and most ardent supporters of Israel to the point where it works against what is needed for mutual cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians. Productive action for a viable two-state solution undoubtedly consists of cooperation and compromise. Most importantly, it requires convincing both sides that it is in their best interest to work with each other. Movements such as BDS that isolate Palestinians and/or Israelis only fuel more radical groups and block the trust needed for the peace process.
A mindset needs to be promoted that views the State of Israel as being of value not only to the Jewish Diaspora but also to the entire world as a living museum of the Abrahamic religions which are central to the shared history and cultural heritage of humanity. For example, we can envision the creation, and the governance by an interfaith panel of curators, of displays and exhibits utilizing a consistent format related to events important to the Abrahamic religions that took place in Israel, with each display and/or exhibit being located at what is considered by scholars to be the site of the related event.
Scholars and religious leaders should organize initiatives to protest violence and acts of hate done in the name of religion. Violent interpretations of religious documents and history have often been used to justify hostilities towards different groups. Religious communities in the Middle East should become more active in protesting these interpretations as a part of seeking social justice. A responsibility also rests with politicians to work with religious leaders and scholars in leading counter-terror initiatives that would influence public opinion. It is also necessary for governments to make sure that the education system follows a uniform curriculum compatible with religious tolerance and peace.
Finally, acts of terrorism against civilian targets are co
mpletely incompatible with any correct interpretation of the teachings of Islam. Islamic scholars need to urgently and repeatedly issue joint statements teaching this truth and condemning all types of terroristic actions targeting civilians. If this is done and leads to a significant reduction in the number and severity of terroristic acts, fears and prejudices spread throughout the world (and especially in the West) about Islam and Muslims, which sometimes rise to the level of irrational Islamophobia, will naturally decrease over time.
Scenarios for the Future
Many different scenarios, some negative and some positive, can be imagined for the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict specifically and the entire Middle East generally.
The worst scenario involves a nuclear attack by Iran against Israel, triggering massive retaliation and leading to World War III. Proponents of this scenario think that Iran feels the need to develop nuclear weapons (whether to preserve its own security or to gain dominance in the region) and would not hesitate to use them if it feels threatened. We think that the realization of this scenario is quite unlikely. Firstly, it seems