An Israeli-Palestinian Agreement: Overcoming Chaos and Cynicism

In War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, Chris Hedges argues that conflict creates a common enemy, and from that we derive a sense of community, commonality, and shared interest. But what is going on in Israel and Palestine is no longer a conflict -- it is chaos. Chaos does not unify. Chaos only serves the most extreme elements of society that seek to destabilize any semblance of order to fulfill their selfish lust for power.

In contrast, peace is an act of enlightened self-interest. Peace is an idea born from hope and the desire to see your children raise a family, walk in a market, and engage in simple pleasures of everyday life without fear. A quest to end the conflict is what binds people like Yaniv Rivlin and Shadha Musallam.

As detailed in a Washington Times column last week, new hope has arrived thanks to many like Yaniv, a 25-year old former Israeli solider with a strong Zionistic upbringing, and Shadha, a 20-year old Palestinian whose family was "so close to Yasser Arafat that she considered him her godfather." What could ever compel these two to share the same cause? As Yaniv explained, "It's not about loving the other side."

For 40 years, Israeli and Palestinian citizens waited for their leaders to negotiate a resolution so they might live in peace. And for forty years, a top-down peace process failed to yield results. For this reason, OneVoice was established.

OneVoice takes a radically simple, rational approach, amplifying the voice of the overwhelming but silent majority who wish to end the conflict, and empowering ordinary citizens to demand accountability from elected representatives. To date, over half a million Israelis and Palestinians have signed the OneVoice Mandate calling on their heads of state to begin immediate, continuous negotiations until a resolution is achieved. But until this goal is reached and every silenced moderate voice joins the growing chorus, our work will continue.

To that end, on October 18th, OneVoice will mobilize hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis at People's Summits in Jericho and Tel Aviv, linked via satellite with parallel events in London, Ottawa, and Washington, D.C. Ordinary citizens will speak out in unprecedented numbers against violent extremism and demand that their leaders begin negotiations.

Admittedly, countless false starts and hard lessons trigger knee-jerk, instinctual cynicism whenever the prospect for peace between Israel and Palestine is referenced. Over decades we have all witnessed the domestic political stalemates, the international diplomatic shortcomings, and prolific violence endured on both fronts. Why should anything be different now? What great enjoinder will finally rally Israelis and Palestinians to peace? (The Economist asked these very questions two weeks ago -- and my response in The Economist is found here.)

This is a seductive but dangerous line of reasoning. There is a natural apprehension to visualize peace. What if our hopes end unfulfilled? What if we fail? With so much violence, such a history of conflict, it is easier to sign off.

But we do not have the luxury of inaction. For every day we do not march onward to build a coalition of moderates to end the conflict, forces of fatalism and apocalyptic absolutism -- from Ahmadinejad to Al Qaeda -- prey on our divisions and gain a deeper foothold in our minds and our world.

We will prevail because we must.

Soon, on the opposite side of a television screen, real people will demand an end to the conflict that delivers more than diplomats shaking hands. Their simple and unified plea is to raise a generation unlike themselves -- a generation that will know peace. To do so, they must become their greatest generation, unlike any other: they must raise their cry for peace and stand firm in the face of violent extremism and dismissive cynicism.

I invite you to listen. And to join us. OneVoice leads to One Million Voices To End The Conflict.

Daniel Lubetzky is the Founder of the OneVoice Movement. Learn more about OneVoice and their October 18th People's Summits at www.onemillionvoices.org.

Comments

[plutorage]

Great post but I don't think there will be peace because WashingtonDC doesn't want it. When America wants peace in the mid east there will be peace. it is that simple. there is not the old cold war antagonisms standing intractable in the way of peace today. we can have peace if USA wants it. They don't today and they will certainly not want it when Hilary moves into the white house

[hoopoe]

you are absolutely right. washington doesn't want peace. americans don't want peace.

they won't want peace so long as evangelical christians have a voice, money and politicians on their side. haven't you heard? evangelicals think peace between israel and Palestinians will be the work of the devil! they're hoping the whole thing will degenerate into the armageddon and the rapture. what a way to build a future for peace.

and i won't even get into aipac and their ilk.

[ahmed]

These people are hopelessly naive. The Israelis and Palestinians have minimum goals are mutually contradictory.

The Palestinians will not give up the Right of Return which would mean an end to Israel. That is the bottom line.

There will never be peace in the Middle East until it glows in the dark.

[hoopoe]

"Peace is an act of enlightened self-interest?"

could a statement be more callous than that? what about peace as an expression of the recognition of our common humanity? what about working for the COMMON GOOD?

i am heartened to learn that there is a movement which will give voice to the often silenced moderates in israel and palestine. i hope this plan works. but i hope you'll forgive me if i retain some of my cynicism when i hear phrases like 'enlightened self interest.'

it says: we'll have peace in spite of you because it"s good for us; rather than: we'll have peace because we both recognize our role in one another's suffering. is this a recipe for lasting peace?

if "It's not about loving the other side" what is it about? The only people who can demand justice for the palestinians from isreali leaders are israelis themselves, since palestinian cries fall on deaf ears around the world. but what israeli, motivated by the desire to see their children grow up, is going to remove checkpoints and walls and grant palestinians sovereignty " or even dignity? what israeli, however moderate, will demand their leaders be held accountable for breaches of international law and humanitarian rights? israelis already get everything they want from the arrangement - why should they sacrifice any of it out of some new form of self-interest?

i think israelis have shown enough self-interest (though certainly not of the 'enlightened' variety) to last them for the next millennium or two. instead, how about learning some compassion, developing some respect for human beings outside their own group, and working toward the COMMON good of ALL for a change? wouldn't THAT be the makings for real peace?

[mommamia526]

There are already two states, a Palestinian one and an Israeli one, as I mentioned, i.e. Israel and Jordan. Jordan has a reasonable and capable government. It can negociate with the world and with Israel. It has good will in the West, and I assume in the Middle East as well. If Palestinians of good will move there now, and agree to negotiations between Jordan and Israel about further determination of territory, which would involve two contiguous nations, namely Jordan and Israel, many of the problems could be solved. Palestinians can, with the current government in Jordan, work effectively for peace in the region, for further economic development, and yes, for international aid. Jordan has not been able to place all the evacuees, but with an extended territory that might be possible. Palestinians could relatively quickly have a stable nation to live, work and prosper in. Jordan is also most able to bridge the gap between Middle Eastern traditions and Western ones, while maintaining the Middle Eastern culture. Jordan would be able to get international help of all kinds, to establish more industries, schools, trade relations and so on. Both Jordan and Israel, with peace, would benefit the whole region. In my opinion, Lebanon should also be included in the effort to stabilize the region, and counterbalance to Iranian expansionist efforts. If Iraq could make some progress with their new government and democratization that would help greatly. But, ultimately, most of this is up to the Middle East. Sixty years of upheaval has not worked, on the contrary. They could decide not to be dumber than donkeys. A donkey, usually, trips over the same stone just once, not forever.

[FearlessFreep]

Is One Voice for or against the "Separation Barrier"? the right of return for Palestinian refugees? demolition of Palestinian homes? Israel killing twenty innocent Palestinians in the course of assassinating one Hamas leader?

You can't elide these basic issues with sentimentality.

[mommamia526]

Well, this is a lofty concept and I wish you luck. There are powerful interests and enemies of the idea. Find the Hamas Charter @ http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/mideast/hamas.htm. Hamas is funded by Iran, and is a militant Palestinian offshoot of the muslim brotherhood. I read that Ahmadinejad has given $ 1 billion to Hamas. A lot of money to help the Palestinian people with, if it would have been invested in Gaza and the greenhouses would have been left intact. Obviously, there are other objectives, as Abbas declared before the Gaza handover, which turned out to be true. One good solution for peace would be that the palestinians of good will an for peace would move to Jordan. Jordan is 77% of the former Palestinian mandate, and mostly Palestinian already. There is good leadership there. I believe they could use more good, and peaceful Palestinians. Let someone take a good look at how much support Palestinians are receiving and what is done with it and by whom. This does not mean that your efforts should not take place, by all means go forward with it, but keep your eyes open. And the date set may be too late. Ahmadinejad has already announced other plans set for October 12th. By the way, do not forget the Palestinians of good will in Lebanon, trapped by Hezbullah, the ousted recent evacuees from Iraq, and more. It will help if Palestinian muslims speak for peace and good will to their muslim brethren, and against murder and mayhem. Suicide bombing and terror kills off the very population the political activists are saying their fight is for. Of course, ordinary people are just chestpieces moved on a board. Glad some Palestinians and Israelis are waking up to that.

[matahari888]

So perhapt you expect iran/hamas or other moslem country will just sit around after SABRA SHATILA massacre and many other massacre by israel without any international court, just slip away like nothing happend???? you make a big mistake ....what goes around, comes around.....Israel never want a peace...they want to eliminate all palestine...and you do propaganda. people like you don't have a heart.

[avergejoe]

AUTHOR: Thomas Moore (1779"1852)
QUOTATION: But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast
To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last.

[prscnt1]

One Voice mandate proposes TWO states, and that means TWO voices, not one voice. Hence, at best, it is a BS and at best, it is naive.

Two states, two armys, and perpetual conflict.

[avergejoe]

Lets hear what Bush, Clinton, Sarkozy, Cheney, etc's mentor has to say-
.
Binyamin Netanyahu speech at The Likud Central Committee Gathering

The question is whether in a future settlement, the Palestinians would indeed enjoy self-rule. I, for one, have no desire whatever to rule over even a single Palestinian.

It must be understood that sovereignty has its own power. Even if an agreement limiting certain sovereign rights were signed, within a short time, this Palestinian state would demand to have all these rights and would realize them, whether we agreed or not.

In any future agreement, if and when we get that far, I see self-rule in which the Palestinians will have the freedom to rule themselves. But to establish a state, with everything that that concept entails, with all the powers I have enumerated, which would endanger Israel"s existence " that no.

Not under Arafat or under any other leadership. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. The Palestinians can have full rights " with the exception of one: the right to destroy the State of Israel!

Self-rule " yes! A state " no!.