In Israeli-Palestinian conflict, empathy is needed
I am a proud Jewish American Zionist Humanitarian who has lived in Jerusalem and spent a lifetime cultivating friendships with Muslims and Palestinians.
My heart goes out to my brothers and sisters in Israel, where Hamas recently took 250 hostages, slaughtered 1,200 people, and indiscriminately launched a barrage of 3,000 missiles, on the most devastating day my people have faced since the Holocaust. Women and children were raped and tortured, while Holocaust survivors were savagely murdered. There is nothing that could ever justify such inhumane crimes against humanity.
My heart also goes out to my friends in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who have been living disenfranchised since 1967, without the ability to vote for the government that controls the borders, the airspace, the water, and the military. It breaks my heart to witness the collective punishment of 24,000 human beings, killed mostly by unguided bombs, 70 percent of the losses being women and children. Israel may have a legitimate right to selfdefense, but even that does not justify such an atrocity on this scale (nor has it made Israel any more secure).
This has got to stop. The underlying problem is a lack of empathy all around. In the eyes of the average Israeli, every Gazan is a terrorist because the land is run by Hamas, an organization with a mission to “fight Jews and kill them.” Nevermind the fact that half of Gaza’s population was born after the last election, 18 years ago. In the eyes of the average Palestinian, every Israeli is an oppressor because Israel has mandatory conscription in an army that violates international law. Nevermind the fact that 20 percent of Israel’s citizens are Muslim.
If the Israelis and the Palestinians could simply realize that the vast majority on both sides are good people who just want to live their lives in peace and prosperity, the world would be a better place. But neither side can afford the luxury of that perspective at this time. The pain is too raw. The wound is still festering.
Unfortunately all the typical paths proposed for a resolution are dead ends. I would love to see an immediate cease fire, but that would keep Hamas in power, with 136 hostages in tow, and the ability to inflict further atrocities against innocent Israelis. At best, it would bring a temporary disruption to the violence, but it would not likely lead to fewer casualties in the long term. There’s no real “end game.”
I would love to see a return to the peace process, but at this point both sides have a right to claim they “have no partner on the other side.” How could the population of Gaza ever make peace with Israel after this? Or vice versa? Both Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have neither the desire, nor the political capital, to pursue an enduring peace at this time. And, even if the stars were to line up for a big Netanyahu — Abbas handshake on the White House lawn, how long would it be before an Iran proxy took over the new Palestinian State, and we were back where we are right now?
Some would like to see a “Free Palestine” from “the River to the Sea.” With antisemitism rising toward pre-Holocaust levels, however, I can’t say that the best solution is a world without one Jewish state. Let’s not forget that this did not begin in 1948. It began with the expulsion of the Jewish People from our homeland 2,000 years ago, and was followed by persecution in exile for millenia. I don’t think a “Free Palestine” at the expense of one Jewish State is the most ethical or even practical solution. And, if there was a “Free Palestine” would the 900,000 Jews forced to flee from Muslim countries in 1948 be permitted to return to their former homes? I think not.
I would like to propose a peace plan that could actually work: one in which the Palestinian population becomes full fledged citizens of Egypt and Jordan. Both Egypt and Jordan have cultivated enduring peace treaties with Israel, so nobody can claim they don’t have a partner on the other side. Rather than throwing $4 billion a year into a never ending cycle of violence, that same funding could go toward supporting Egyptian and Jordanian efforts to strengthen their economies and keep the peace within borders of their own. True, Egypt and Jordan have rejected such overtures in the past, but would they really turn their noses up at billions of dollars right now?
Of course, this would put an end to the concept of a Palestinian state, but let’s be honest. There was no Palestinian state in 1948, or ever, for that matter. Under the Ottoman Empire, the population of Jerusalem was so small that a visiting Mark Twain described it as “mournful, dreary and lifeless.” Under British Mandate Palestine, the grandparents of today’s Palestinians arrived mostly from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. The West Bank is actually the West Bank of Jordan. What Gazans wouldn’t rather live as full fledged Egyptian citizens, than under Hamas (or Jewish) rule? I would give what’s left of the land of Gaza to Israel to rebuild, but I would give the West Bank back to Jordan. Relocating the entire Jewish population living on illegal settlements in the West Bank would be a small price to pay for peace. Besides, Israel has a strong enough economy to afford to relocate that population within Israel’s rightful borders. I have ideas for Jerusalem as well, but let’s save that for another occasion.
I call this Peace Process “Isaiah’s Peace Plan,” as it is written: “In that day, Israel shall be a third partner with Egypt and Assyria as a blessing on earth; for the Lord of Hosts will bless them, saying, ‘Blessed be My people Egypt, My handiwork Assyria, and My very own Israel’” (Isaiah 19:24)
May it be God’s will for us all to work together toward a just and lasting peace, for all people, throughout the Middle East, and throughout the world.