Rings of peace
Moving toward responsible Israeli-Iraqi relations
During the most recent Palestinian/Hamas-Israeli flareup and in the days following, innocent people have suffered yet again. What a terrible waste of lives, talents and resources. Some see no way out of the next round of tit-for-tat attacks. Perhaps I am a dreamer who sees possibilities to break the chain of violence and slowly but surely add links to a ring of peace. My dream, however, is grounded in 20 and 21st century events and is shared by others in Iraq and throughout the Arab World.
Egypt created the first link in a ring of peace in 1979 with the historic visit of the then-president Anwar Sadat to Jerusalem. The visit helped to end blind rage, and the peace treaty between the two states saved Egyptians and Israelis (Jews and Palestinians alike) from the terrible impacts of a full conflict. This first link in the ring of peace was forged by an ancient, embedded Arab civilization and the historically rooted Israel. Why can’t a link in the ring of peace be created with another ancient deeply entrenched Arab civilization: Iraq?
The Middle East has suffered enormously through recent conflicts. A new post-conflict approach is in the interest of both Israel and Iraq. Both countries face regional geopolitical burdens: an expansionist Iran and a Turkey characterized politically by an Islamist/Ottoman ideology. The Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) will not put an end to Iran’s search for greater regional hegemony, nor will it stop Iran’s proxy war or its declared objective to dissolve the Jewish state. It also appears that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s world view subtly nurtures the Ottoman Empire hegemony narrative that includes Jerusalem. Given these external challenges, both Israel and Iraq can benefit from an exploration of true peace and the creation of a new alliance.
Former Israeli prime minister
Shimon Peres once said, “We should use our imagination more than our memory.” We all know our history of enmity and mistrust, but we are not condemned to perpetuate that history. It is in our hands to work hard toward building a brand-new trusting bond between the people of Israel and the people of Iraq.
While politicians think negotiations, tactics, and strategies, I think innovation and business. Peace can be cemented through expanding business ties, promoting innovation, sponsoring binational and multiregional scientific exchanges, and developing educational exchanges and opportunities. Greater responsibility and greater freedom of action must be granted to entrepreneurs, tycoons, innovators, start-ups and businesses to normalize and build peace through economic advancement. Business promotes realism, pragmatism and prosperity for all.
Every day through the media we witness Iraq’s domestic upheaval and daily struggles in its brave transition from decades of dictatorship toward a consolidated democracy. The democracy in Iraq is not perfect; it is still fractured and divided. Yet realpolitik with Israel can help the advancement of democracy in the new
Iraq. Iraq can learn from the processes Israel struggled through to create an open and democratic society.
The Jewish community in Iraq has a two millennia-long history, including periods of contribution and cooperation under Muslim ruler. Members of the community were instrumental in building Iraq’s economy and commerce and contributing to the Iraqi nation culturally during the parliamentary kingdom period from 1932-1958. What media headlines don’t show is that many in Iraq and the Iraqi diaspora want their Iraqi-Jewish brothers and sisters to return.
Adding an Iraqi link to the ring of peace now forged by Gulf Arab states such as the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain, the link established by the Kingdom of Jordan, and new links from nations in North Africa will contribute to the stability, prosperity and development of the region and provide hope and aid for the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli dilemma that should not blight the lives of our children and grandchildren.