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Abstract

cal solutions fail, violence often emerges as a desperate response.The British government’s initial refusal to negotiate with the IRA due to its terrorist activities is a case in point. However, when they eventually engaged in dialogue, it led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement — an essential step towards peace, albeit a difficult one.This lesson seems to have been forgotten by current global leaders.It’s clear that peace cannot be achieved by exclusively negotiating with the discredited Palestinian Authority leadership in the West Bank. Many global north governments have unsuccessfully tried to impose their preferred leaders on people seeking self-determination.Hamas, like it or not, will need to be part of any substantive peace process.In my view, a political solution is the only way forward. Neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis can achieve a decisive military victory.Yet, Israel’s rightwing leadership continues to reject negotiation, opting instead to transform Palestinian territories into occupied dependencies. The West Bank and East Jerusalem are now heavily settled by Israelis, yet international leaders do little more than express concern over these illegal settlements.This policy has not increased Israel’s security; instead, it has led to more violence, as the events of October 7 have shown.Israel’s approach has failed to protect its citizens and has only served to escalate the conflict.The belief th

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at one can deny another people their basic rights and still maintain security is fundamentally flawed. Oppression breeds a desire for retribution and a perpetual state of insecurity.There’s speculation that the Israeli government’s real agenda might be to push Palestinians out of their territories, a notion reinforced by recent statements from Israeli officials rejecting a two-state solution.This approach suggests a future of unending domination and escalating regional instability.The goal should be security for Israel and self-determination for Palestinians.If a two-state solution is no longer viable, perhaps a confederal state could be a solution, where Palestinians have self-government and Israel has security.World leaders in Washington DC, London, and Europe need to shift their approach. They should support a regional summit involving key players in the Middle East, including Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE.Stability in the region is possible only if all parties are included.The lack of serious diplomacy since Barack Obama’s presidency is a gap that needs to be addressed. The growing geopolitical divide with the global south poses significant risks and costs for Western powers in an increasingly turbulent world.And with the risk of this becoming a regional war now too (as evidenced by recent events in Lebonon and Iran), the situation and urgency are only growing by the day.</article></body>

A Personal Reflection on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Seeking a Path to Peace

Reflecting on the recent events of October 7 and the subsequent actions by Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza, I’ve come to realise some critical truths about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Firstly, despite Israel’s considerable military actions against Hamas, including the destruction of many tunnels and the dispersal of fighters, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Hamas, as a movement and ideology, cannot be entirely eradicated.

Ironically, it seems Netanyahu’s own extreme policies have inadvertently contributed to Hamas’s prominence.

I’ve observed that the rightwing Israeli governments, for over two decades now, have consistently blocked meaningful negotiations with Palestine’s more moderate factions like Yasser Arafat’s Fatah.

Since the Camp David summit in 2000, their approach has been more about dominance than dialogue. This has only exacerbated the situation in Gaza, leading to a near-constant state of siege.

It’s hardly surprising that, under such oppression, many Palestinians have turned to Hamas as an alternative, albeit an extremist one.

This pattern isn’t unique; history shows us, including Britain’s experience in Northern Ireland, that when political solutions fail, violence often emerges as a desperate response.

The British government’s initial refusal to negotiate with the IRA due to its terrorist activities is a case in point. However, when they eventually engaged in dialogue, it led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement — an essential step towards peace, albeit a difficult one.

This lesson seems to have been forgotten by current global leaders.

It’s clear that peace cannot be achieved by exclusively negotiating with the discredited Palestinian Authority leadership in the West Bank. Many global north governments have unsuccessfully tried to impose their preferred leaders on people seeking self-determination.

Hamas, like it or not, will need to be part of any substantive peace process.

In my view, a political solution is the only way forward. Neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis can achieve a decisive military victory.

Yet, Israel’s rightwing leadership continues to reject negotiation, opting instead to transform Palestinian territories into occupied dependencies. The West Bank and East Jerusalem are now heavily settled by Israelis, yet international leaders do little more than express concern over these illegal settlements.

This policy has not increased Israel’s security; instead, it has led to more violence, as the events of October 7 have shown.

Israel’s approach has failed to protect its citizens and has only served to escalate the conflict.

The belief that one can deny another people their basic rights and still maintain security is fundamentally flawed. Oppression breeds a desire for retribution and a perpetual state of insecurity.

There’s speculation that the Israeli government’s real agenda might be to push Palestinians out of their territories, a notion reinforced by recent statements from Israeli officials rejecting a two-state solution.

This approach suggests a future of unending domination and escalating regional instability.

The goal should be security for Israel and self-determination for Palestinians.

If a two-state solution is no longer viable, perhaps a confederal state could be a solution, where Palestinians have self-government and Israel has security.

World leaders in Washington DC, London, and Europe need to shift their approach. They should support a regional summit involving key players in the Middle East, including Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE.

Stability in the region is possible only if all parties are included.

The lack of serious diplomacy since Barack Obama’s presidency is a gap that needs to be addressed. The growing geopolitical divide with the global south poses significant risks and costs for Western powers in an increasingly turbulent world.

And with the risk of this becoming a regional war now too (as evidenced by recent events in Lebonon and Iran), the situation and urgency are only growing by the day.