Some People Do Not Want Peace Between Israelis & Palestinians: What is Everyone Else Doing?
The war between Israel and Palestinians benefits certain people. And they will always make the effort to undermine any path towards peace. All they need to do is set an unrealistic peace negotiation framework that openly provokes the other party. Once that is done, they will quickly blame the other party and incite their followers to do so. This cycle of bad faith negotiations, as well as accusations and counter-accusations, prolongs the war, increases suffering for innocent Palestinians and Israelis, and causes diverse burdens for people all over the world.
Open Opposition to the Palestinian Statehood
Leaders in the conflict, like Binyamin Netanyahu, openly state they do not want a Palestinian state. While that might sound extreme and provoking, it can be managed. On the other hand, some parties on both sides do not want a Palestinian state and use various means to undermine the possibility.
It is always easier to deal with a person who opposes a fundamental element of customary international law, like the right to self-determination. Once the group in question meets certain conditions, an open opponent to their autonomy will have to make concessions.
Netanyahu was losing his hold on power in the democratic discourse of Israel until October 7 occurred. Those who executed the massacres legitimized the Israeli right-wing nationalists, and all their predictions and warnings became a reality. Thus, October 7th caused a great disservice to the Palestinian people and their statehood bid.
There are two sides to a coin. There is a reason countries like Qatar, Jordan, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates have thrived quietly into success, while Palestinians have faced setbacks after setbacks. It is, therefore, necessary to try other options and possibilities for their assertion of peoplehood.
Statecraft Philosophy
Most of the Holocaust survivors who formed the state of Israel were also driven by anger and revenge. They hanged those they could hang. They brought Eichman to stand trial. They did a lot of things. However, they had to focus on building a state as a primary obligation.
Indeed, many of the countries in the Global South that failed to build genuine state structures and thriving economies had to rely on anti-colonialism at some point or the other in history. That is because when you fail to deal with the primary elements of statehood, trade, and wealth generation, you will have to find someone to heap the blame on. That is where the social contract of the state falls apart, civil society breaks down, and the country descends into a failed state.
The rallying point for Palestinian statehood for the past 70 years has been the “Israeli Occupation”. Whatever it is, statehood is independent of the “other”. Hence, the statecraft ideology of the Palestinians as an autonomous people must be examined critically, and the international community can play a role in catalyzing this. Palestinians are not ordinary people. They are Arabs who belong to an ancient civilization that has different layers of knowledge and ideas that can be harvested and operationalized to contribute to humanity. That should be at the forefront of the development of a Palestinian identity. And this can be led by the Gulf countries – especially in rebuilding Gaza and Post-October 7 War era.
Artificial Poverty
All over the world, the international community is questioning the transfer of aid from the Global North to the Global South. Estimates show that anywhere from 20% to 40% of foreign aid is stolen by corrupt elites[1]. Worse of all, some 14.4% of foreign aid worldwide is pocketed by the donating country, many of them wealthier countries, which robs the poor people of the aid that is supposed to go to them[2]. This is a global trend, and no country, including the Palestinian community, is above these risks of corruption.
In the Palestinian case, the top-down approach of transferring aid means that a few elites are motivated to maintain the status quo. As long as they give money to militias and reward people who slay Israelis, the cycle of violence will continue. And this is what Netanyahu conventionally cites in his addresses. If aid and money to the Palestinian people from the Arab world and Islamic countries went directly to Palestinian people, they would be able to pay for their children to get a productive life.
Thus, the way aid is presented to Palestinians can make a major difference. In other posts, have recommended the use of the Majlis system to build city-states throughout Palestinian communities and grow it into a functional national identity. Even if this will be for five years or a decade, Palestinian families can gain autonomy, decide for themselves, and make choices that would bring prosperity.
The centralized system of transferring aid to Palestinians encourages corruption and waste.
We All Have a Duty to Speak Up
Apparently, Palestinians have a right to be angry with how they have been treated since 1947. However, the world has changed so much in the past 80 years. The human race has learned a lot. We have better solutions to problems that can be applied to the Palestinian case to give the Palestinian people a much better position and save the world from its longest conflict.
This conflict between Israel and Hamas can be the last war between Israel and Palestinians. It has to be done through a conscious effort to pursue coexistence and eliminate ideas that breed animosity.
We have a duty to speak up and encourage Palestinians to focus on the primary elements of statecrafting at the lowest levels to build an efficient sociopolitical contract among Palestinians. After that, Palestinians can assert their self-determination better and raise credible leaders who represent the people’s best interests. Through this, leaders who do not want peace will be isolated. Those who profit from the war will have no credibility. And there can be lasting peace in the conflict.
Conclusion
The destructive conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people has been weaponized by specific leaders. While some are transparent and open, others hide behind the scenes and fuel the conflict in ways that harm the overwhelming majority of Palestinians. This is done through the creation of artificial poverty among Palestinians and the creation of a social contract based on revenge and victimhood. This can changed through the decentralization of political and economic power among the Palestinian people. Over time, Palestinians can create their own state apparatus that is cohesive and reflective of their best interests. That is the best path towards actualizing self-determination, autonomy, and the creation of a viable economy.
[1] Charles Kenny. Is 20% of Aid Really Lost to Corruption? On Zombie Statistics and Their Sources. Center for Global Development. Published: March 22, 2024. Available at: https://www.cgdev.org/blog/20-aid-really-lost-corruption-zombie-statistics-and-their-sources
self-determination[2] Marc Cohen. Obscene amount of aid is going back into the pockets of rich countries. Oxfam International. Published: April 12, 2023. Available at: https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/obscene-percent-aid-going-back-pockets-rich-countries