Who Wants Middle East Peace? Forging Consensus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The time for finger-pointing and blame is over; the time for respectful dialogue is now…
It was 46 years ago last week, in November of 1977, that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made history when he became the first Arab head of state to visit the Jewish state of Israel.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
- “Sadat’s historic visit, which broke with the Arab policy of not engaging publicly with the Jewish state, reinvigorated hopes for peace, and he was warmly received by Israeli citizens and officials alike.”
- “His plane landed in Israel on 19 November 1977; Sadat was greeted at the airport by PM Begin and Israeli President Ephraim Katzir, with a 21-gun salute and an honor guard.”
- “Sadat’s message in his speech to the Knesset the next day [bold added for emphasis] — ‘We really and truly seek peace, we really and truly welcome you to live among us in peace and security’ — was eagerly and warmly applauded by his Israeli hosts.”
- “This courageous first visit by an Arab leader to Israel is considered a pivotal moment, credited with opening the path to peace between Israel and the Arab world.”
- “The two countries immediately began intensive negotiations, culminating in the Camp David Accords of September 1978 and the Israel-Egypt Treaty of Peace, which was signed in Washington on 26 March 1979.”
The Price of Peace
Egypt’s President Sadat was awarded the coveted Nobel Peace Prize in 1978, along with his counterpart for peace, Israeli Prime Minister Begin. However, Sadat was later assassinated by Islamist terrorists. That’s the price — death — which some Arab leaders pay for making peace with Israel.
- “The 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was received with controversy among Arab nations, particularly the Palestinians.”
- “Egypt’s membership in the Arab League was suspended (and not reinstated until 1989).
- “In Egypt, various jihadist groups, such as Egyptian Islamic Jihad and al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, used the Camp David Accords to rally support for their cause.”
- “Previously sympathetic to Sadat’s attempt to integrate them into Egyptian society, Egypt’s Islamists now felt betrayed and publicly called for the overthrow of the Egyptian president and the replacement of the nation’s system of government with a government based on Islamic theocracy.”
Nevertheless, Israel signed four more peace treaties thereafter with the Kingdom of Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Morocco.
Moreover, before the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, another peace deal was reportedly pending completion with Saudi Arabia. But the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war scuttled the deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the following September 22, 2023, at the United Nations about a possible Israel-Saudi peace deal:
- “Such a peace will go a long way in ending Arab-Israeli conflict and will encourage other Arab States to normalize their relations with Israel.”
Netanyahu added that such a peace deal with Saudi Arabia would enhance the prospects of peace with the Palestinians. This announcement was made roughly two short weeks before the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which set the Middle East ablaze.
Interestingly, the main beneficiary of Hamas terrorism is the Islamic Republic of Iran — which, ironically, supports and funds Hamas. That’s because Saudi Arabia is Iran’s main geopolitical adversary for regional hegemony. A peace deal with Israel would have further isolated Iran while strengthening the Saudi Kingdom.
And, yes, that’s the same Islamic Republic of Iran, that has launched over 70 attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East since Oct. 17, according to Fox News citing Pentagon sources. These attacks have not stopped.
Do you know who also benefits the most from the Israel-Hamas war? Russia’s Vladimir Putin, as his unrelenting and unprovoked war against Ukraine has been broadly discarded or under-reported by the global news media, to instead provide 24/7 coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
How convenient.
Coincidental timing? Highly doubtful. So, what does this all tell us regarding the prospects for peace in the Middle East?
It signals, without equivocation, that Israel wants peace with its Arab neighbors — as history has consistently proven — and that at least some Arab countries are willing to make peace with Israel.
The real question now is whether Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza want peace with Israel or more uprisings (intifada) and war?
Stop Laying Blame
Any objective observer might say the answer to whether Palestinians in the disputed territories want peace with Israel is more likely NO than YES.
That’s because of the Palestinians’ overwhelming support of Hamas terrorism against Israel, including the Oct. 7 massacre — and also over a decade of support of Hamas in Gaza prior to that (after Israel left Gaza).
Moreover, the Hamas charter specifically identifies the annihilation of Israel as the clear goal of the Iran-backed terrorist group.
Furthermore, Israel would not have made any peace agreements with Arab countries already if the Jewish state did not want peace — in other words, a country that rejects peace does not simultaneously agree to multiple peace deals.
As noted, I am not an objective observer but a strong supporter of Israel’s unequivocal right to exist as the internationally recognized homeland for the Jewish people. I also agree that Palestinians in the disputed territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip deserve their own internationally recognized sovereign state — which is also the position of President Biden and the U.S. government.
However, it’s clear that the time for finger-pointing, laying blame, and fanning the fires of hate needs to end. The time for an open dialogue to reach some fundamental consensus on moving forward needs to begin.
Hate only begets hate, not constructive solutions toward peace.
This means looking past the Israel-Hamas war to a better future for Israelis and Palestinians. That’s the purpose of this new series: to foster more constructive and respectful discourse between the two opposing sides.
Open communication is a critical first step toward forging agreement on fundamental issues between Israel and the Palestinians — and setting the stage for any peace talks.
Dartmouth Dialogue as Role Model
It’s notable that despite all the ugly behavior on college campuses, at least one prominent college is making some progress toward building bridges.
NBC News reports that Dartmouth University has begun an open dialogue between students and professors where hard and sometimes painful questions are raised and answered.
According to NBC:
- “Threats and assaults toward Jewish, Muslim, pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian students on college campuses have been on the rise since the Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel and the counterattacks in Gaza that have followed.”
- “But at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, students from those same groups told NBC News they still feel safe and credit, in large part, the college’s novel approach to the issue: talking about it.”
- “Dartmouth President Sian Beilock encouraged students to attend the first event, which was so successful that a second forum was quickly organized. The second time, more than 1,300 joined over livestream and in person, at a school with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates.”
The Dartmouth model should be emulated not only on college campuses nationwide, but likewise via respectful open discussions on digital and social media platforms, like here on Medium.
Medium Members Speak Out
To kick off this open discussion, below are what just a few members of Medium said in comments pertaining to Part 4 of my previous series, “Israel-Hamas War: Five Questions as Precursor for Peace…
NOTE: You can catch up on other articles in the series here: Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 5.
- Nia Outis writes, “Of course living as good neighbors is possible to achieve. If Western Europe could accomplish that post WWII (with the aid of the Marshall Plan), the Near & Middle East can accomplish that post the Israel-Hamas war.”
- Paul Fiery writes: “No broker honest or otherwise can hope to achieve anything positive without the two [sides] formally recognizing each other's right to exist. Without this, the outcome of any negotiation can be nothing more than a façade, a delaying tactic often allowing one or both sides to surreptitiously prepare for the next conflict.”
- Michael Lee Robinson writes: “Israelis and Palestinians are human beings. As human beings, they deserve to live in peace and harmony. Sadly, geopolitics and resource scarcity set the boundaries of what is possible. Peace and harmony require the cooperation of the entire region.”
- Zivah Avraham writes: “Any country involved in the efforts to return peace to this part of the Middle East is going have to earn the trust in equal measure to prove that it doesn’t have an unequal amount of skin in the game for one side, versus the other.”
- To reiterate, I support a 2-state solution with two foundational elements which are non-negotiable:
First, Palestinians recognize the State of Israel as the international homeland of the Jewish people. And second, any deal provides the Palestinians with an independent sovereign country via a fair and equitable process.
Final Thoughts
Some federal courts have referred to digital and social media platforms, like Medium, as part of the “public square” for people to debate issues of the day in the 21st-century high-tech Information Age.
Therefore, let’s get to it…
Rather than continuing heated and offensive back-and-forth arguments — which only seem to solidify opposing views— let’s instead try to build a semblance of consensus as a precursor for peace, if possible.
Please comment below to add your unique voice to this open dialogue in the spirit of seeking productive agreement — or respectful disagreement — over controversial issues that are drawing Americans apart regarding Middle East peace in general and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular.
Despite which side you’re on, can we at least agree on the aforementioned two fundamental elements (above) as a baseline and springboard to launching a more comprehensive dialogue going forward?
Please note that all constructive viewpoints deserve to be heard in a respectful manner via this open online forum.
Who’s with me on this?
I look forward to reading and responding to your valuable feedback…
PS — Many thanks to Nabila Asif Life Lesson Writer and Saba Saqlain for their diligent and constructive engagement with me these past weeks. This just shows, for example, that a person who is Jewish American, and others who live in the MENA region, can get along in a cordial and productive manner. If we can do it, so can others…
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Please be aware that any inappropriate comments that are in violation of Medium’s stated rules of user conduct may be deleted and reported as applicable.
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