While Gaza is in ruins, with one out of every 50 people perishing, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees was given marching orders by Israel. The visuals of Palestinians losing their homes strike a chord with peace-loving people around the world instinctively. Consequently, the gory images of children casualties in Gaza took a toll on their emotions. The sheer insanity displayed by the warring parties in targeting children made people livid. Can’t Israelis and Palestinians befriend each other, work out a mutually acceptable solution to live in peace eternally and prosper together? – pacifists across the globe asked in exasperation. The government of Israel had tried to explain how Hamas targeted their children – murdered, mutilated and kidnapped them, while the IDF never used children or civilians as pawns in this asymmetric warfare. “Those who die are for us, a very unfortunate collateral damage due to the fact that Hamas is hiding behind and under them” – has been the standard Israeli response. Amid this moral one-upmanship, ordinary Palestinians continued to suffer miserably. As peace advocates repeatedly underscored, there must be a channel of communication to resolve differences, however difficult it might be in the middle of full-blown conflicts, which eventually ruin society and disrupt lives. At some point in time, peace needs to be given a chance and the onus lies on both the Palestinians and Israelis to create a conducive atmosphere for productive dialogue. Being equal stakeholders in peacebuilding and recognising the importance of stability more than anybody else, they must not shy away from participating actively in any reconciliation process. After all, the world is changing fast and the thin line between resistance and terrorism is getting blurred with each passing day.
Israel seems to be in a dilemma. The international community does not fully understand how deeply rooted and religiously motivated the hate toward Israel in the Arab world is in trying to dehumanise Jews – successive Israeli governments have claimed. Israel’s military offensive indeed breeds resentment across the region. Is the Arab society insensitive to paint an entire community with the same brush – even erroneously? The most interesting aspect of the Palestine-Israel conflict is a common insecurity. People world over have heard about Palestinians living in constant fear of Israeli retribution. But very few know that Israelis too are plagued by feelings of insecurity. Why should the people of such a militarily powerful nation, having the backing of global bigwigs, fear the ragtag guerrillas of Palestinian resistance? The causes of anxiety and the reason behind Israel’s aversion to going all out in befriending Palestinians are manifold. Can an entire region fed by anti-semitism accept Israelis with an open mind and arm? How judicious will it be to make concessions if the people in general remain allergic to Israel? What happens to Israel’s security thereafter given its geographical presence amid a Muslim-majority neighbourhood?
Conclusion
These questions weighed heavily on the Israeli mind. As the Gaza truce holds, former Prime Minister of the State of Palestine Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh believes, the time is ripe to build on the ceasefire to address the root causes of the conflict and establish a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. He also envisions a crucial role for the Palestinian Authority in post-war Gaza. Israelis are craving peace and stability to realise their country’s full economic potential. Meanwhile, Palestinians too have a dream of achieving economic prosperity as citizens of an independent nation-state. These positions are neither disparate nor intractable. With Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas having sought India’s involvement in the peace process, can New Delhi ensure Palestinian sovereignty with Israeli concurrence, in exchange for the Arab world committing to stand for Israel’s territorial integrity? India, with no historical baggage in the region and sustaining deep ties with both sides of the divide, could be the guiding light in that yet-to-be-explored path to peace.