Why There Can Be No Peace
By
Leonard Zwelling
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/26/world/middleeast/hamas-hostage-sexual-assault.html
I suggest that you read this article from The New York Times website on March 26. All of it.
It describes the ordeal of one of the hostages that was released in late November in the waning hours of the cease fire that led to the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages.
The world wants another such cease fire, but Israel will have none of it. This article will tell you why.
In the most recent episode of the fabulous podcast Unpacking Israeli History,
https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/unpacking-israeli-history/
the host Noam Wessiman delineates the four main obstacles to peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis—the status of Jerusalem, the drawing of borders, the issue of security, and the plight of the refugees. Weissman takes a very even-handed approach noting that both sides want Jerusalem as their capital, both sides disagree strongly about the correct borders of a potential second state, neither side trusts the other to not attack, and the refugee issue is the most complicated because even though most of the 700,000 Arabs displaced in the Nakba of 1948 are gone, their 5.9 million relatives are staking claim to land inside present-day Israel. Furthermore, there’s a separate UN agency promoting this mindset for 76 years.
This all seems pretty intractable. Then you read the article and realize the level of depravity to which Hamas has sunk and why Israel cannot rest until every Hamas fighter either vacates Gaza or is eradicated.
The sentiment in Israel today is that there cannot be a Palestinian state next to Israel unless there are absolute guarantees that it is demilitarized and cannot wage another October 7-like attack. Who could guarantee such a thing? Only the other Arab states who seem unwilling to do so and always have been unwilling to do so.
In the time you might have used to read a longer blog, read the article. Then you will understand why a cease fire has been so elusive.
4 thoughts on “Why There Can Be No Peace”
Such a complex struggle that unfortunately is harming so many families on both sides of the battle. What concerns me is that Trump may win the Presidential election because of Palestinian sentiments in America against Biden and an anti-Israel feeling, too, that Trump is using.
Thanks for keeping us informed and recommending important things to read or hear.
This is a real tough one. A solution may require new leaders in Jerusalem and Ramallah. I doubt a leadership change in DC will matter here.
However, you are right about this playing into Trump’s hand.
Israel has decided on a scorched earth strategy. They will probably have to see it through to the end.
The intentional hunting down, targeting and killing of the WCK aid workers was my red line. WCK is one of the charities I contribute to. As I have said before, Bibi is a stain on Israel and he must resign now. It’s time to face the truth that he has never been good for Israel. And, Bibi has made it hell for American Jews, if you’re paying attention. Now he’s just indiscriminately killing people which makes me question his relationship with Judaism. He must resign now and we must pressure him to resign now. It’s the moral thing to do.
That’s a lot to unpack.
I was not under the impression that the bombing of the aid workers was purposeful. Who knows if we will ever know? I just don;t see why anyone would do that. It’s war and bad stuff happens.
Agree re: Bibi having to go, but he was once good for Israel as Finance Minister. Now he has outlived his utility. This has to be done by the Israeli people and it is none of Chuck Schumer’s business. He stepped over a line himself. It’s still a democracy and must have administrative transfer in an orderly fashion. It is not for the US to decide.
Bibi is in a bind. He cannot stop the war because once he does, he’s going to jail. He cannot keep it up because there is too much death for anyone to sanction, although no one seems to be calling for a cease fire in Ukraine.
It is a difficult time. Perhaps a wiser Israeli government would have figured out what it would take to get the hostages back first and then pulled the trigger.
Again, the Israeli public has to decide what it wants in the way of peace vs, vengeance. Very hard