There are plenty of examples of Israelis and Palestinians building bridges and uniting through what they have in common, not what they disagree on. In these environments, far from politicians and strategists with their own agendas, people can simply look into each other's eyes, hear their stories and see humanity.
It is also easy to forget that 1.7 million Palestinians live in Israel. A population of this size alone proves that the two can coexist peacefully; It really challenges the argument that peaceful coexistence is a kind of imaginary utopia that can never exist in a practical sense.
Christian leader and activist Shane Clyburn once said: “Peacemaking does not mean passivity. It is the act of stopping injustice, it is the act of destroying evil without destroying the evildoer, it is the act of finding a third way that is neither flight nor fight, but the careful and painstaking pursuit of reconciliation and justice. It is about About a revolution of love big enough to liberate the oppressed and oppressed alike.
What is desperately needed for the two-state solution to succeed is a long-term policy supported by both sides, and supported by the allied countries concerned. This may not sound particularly impressive, but politics is fundamentally important because it is the foundation from which those small, daily social changes grow, and these are the building blocks of long-term and lasting peace.
In this regard, leaders on both sides failed. There has been a long and focused effort by those in power to create an image of the “enemy.” But when you step back from the top and look at things on a day-to-day level, we see that this is not true and that peace can be achieved.
At the height of apartheid in South Africa, many – myself included – believed that apartheid could only end in bloodshed; There was a lot of hate. However, Nelson Mandela was able to show the world what the right leadership at the right time can do for the long march toward peace.
From this war, there will be a generation of Israelis and Palestinians who were deeply traumatized and affected by what they saw and experienced. While projects and initiatives that support peace can serve as a model for these people, they will only succeed with the right leadership.
It is sad to think that the only thing Hamas and the Israeli far right seem to agree on is undermining the two-state solution. A one-state constitution in which Israelis, Arabs and Palestinians are not equal will never be acceptable and will be viewed as an apartheid state.
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I have seen Palestinians and Israelis rise above tribalism and become peacemakers. Now officials must do the same.
In fact, as Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Tim Costello is a senior fellow at the Center for Public Christianity.
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