To Free the Hostages and End the Fighting, Consider a More Comprehensive Approach

25 September 2024

?A year after the horrific attacks of October 7th, ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel remain locked in stalemate. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive, while bloodshed continues in Gaza and beyond.?Paradoxically, a comprehensive approach to negotiations that expands the discussion beyond the immediate ceasefire terms and considers the future of Gaza, the Palestinians, Israel, and the region may create an opening for an agreement.?

?The international community cannot lose sign of the urgent need to secure release of the hostages and end the bloodshed. Additionally, the situation in Gaza has further inflamed tensions in the West Bank, while to the north, Israel’s border areas with Lebanon have been essentially unlivable due to Hizbollah’s attacks. This has sparked the fiercest outbreak of fighting there in years.?

As the fighting continues, now is the time to consider what a workable framework for progress may entail after the current hostilities fade. First, let’s consider why a ceasefire has been elusive. This is not about who is to blame. At the risk of stating the obvious, as with any bilateral negotiation both sides must agree to the terms for an agreement to be realized.?

What are the fundamental interests driving Israel and Hamas??

A ceasefire has remained elusive in part because each party views the negotiation as existential. Despite the gut-wrenching situation of the hostages, Israel is reluctant to allow Hamas to return to power and again threaten the Israeli population. And despite the tragic situation in Gaza, Hamas is unlikely to accept any agreement that bars it from the position of power it occupied before October 7th.?

?A considerable faction within Israel, largely represented by its current governing coalition, opposes Palestinian self-rule and views the whole of the land as belonging under Israeli sovereignty. Hamas also represents Palestinians who wish to return all of historic Palestine to Palestinian control, securing the Palestinian right of return to their homes and sovereignty over the whole of the land.?

Additional considerations include Hamas’ desire to leverage the hostages to secure release of as many Palestinian prisoners held by Israel as possible. For Israel, restricting Hamas’ ability to smuggle weapons and war material across the Philadelphi corridor between Gaza and Egypt has been a sticking point.??

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Consider the Big Picture?

Considering the broader context, Israeli security is about much more than who controls Gaza. Ultimately, Israel’s long-term security depends on its peaceful integration into the family of Middle East nations.?

The best way to achieve this is through a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia and additional countries in the region. As the Saudis have recently announced, the pathway to an Israeli-Saudi agreement runs through peace with the Palestinians. Even Iran and its proxies would ultimately have little choice but to respect the wishes of the Palestinians in such a scenario.?

If all the violence has any silver lining, perhaps it is to illustrate the futility and unbearable costs of war. If this serves to open a doorway of opportunity to imagine a radical departure from what’s been happening, it will have served at least some purpose.?

While the Israeli and Palestinian publics and their supporters are certainly aware of the high cost of war, skepticism about the prospects for peace are understandably pervasive.??

The path to reconciliation and peace will require courageous leadership and cooperation among citizens, civil society leaders, faith leaders, government officials, and influential individuals across a range of fields. Vision, innovation and big-picture thinking can create value for each party, unlocking new possibilities for agreement.?

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Taking Stock of the “What’s So”

Passionate opinions about who is right and who is wrong are pervasive on this issue. Even some thoughtful readers of this column, upon reflection, may notice their certitude about which parties have justice, history, or even God on their side.??

The facts are that two diverse peoples live in one land, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea: Two tribes, two nations, sharing one space.?

What we can say is that the full, complete, and accurate history of the Holy Land is simply everything that has happened in the past to bring us to the present moment and the current reality.??

While we should all strive to understand and bear witness to as broad a slice of history and experience as possible, we ought not get stuck in an endless cycle of argument and debate over the past. Palestinians and Israelis are not destined to hate each other from birth. All narratives are a grand stew of exactly what happened, mixed with generations of stories, embellishments, and omissions. These prevailing narratives are complex and ever-changing.?

?All branches of the Abrahamic family tree, including Islam, have spread the spiritual wisdom first cultivated by the Jews of the ancient Middle East. These teachings have evolved across a range of peoples, religions, and practices.?

Starting today, it is time to transform the conversation, and acknowledge the common family heritage that unites Jews, Muslims, Christians, and all the branches of this noble family tree. To attack one branch is to attack the whole tree.?

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The Lynchpin: a Radical Mindshift?

It is time for a wholesale change in the Israeli-Palestinian relationship. It may well be that for such an outcome to occur, a dramatic shift in mindset is necessary. This shift is not a luxury, but a necessity. The horrors of the past year may be just the shock the system needs to bring about such a radical shift.?

?Such a shift requires leadership. We cannot wait for the politicians – if they are too far ahead of public opinion they will lose support and their mandate to lead. While political leadership is certainly helpful and welcomed, this moment requires a citizen shift, a transformation among the people.?

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The Four Rs: Recognition, Respect, Rights, and Responsibilities??

Naturally, we all want to enjoy our human rights and freedoms. With these rights come a sacred responsibility to ensure that all people get to enjoy their freedoms as well. This requires that Palestinians and Israelis reach some form of accommodation with one another.?

For generations, Israelis and Palestinians have too often sought to undermine and discredit the other’s historical relationship with the land. Countless justifications, based on history, religion, justice, security, or any number of other considerations, have created a self-reinforcing dynamic of delegitimization.??

Israelis and Palestinians all deserve to enjoy their human rights. The principle of mutuality is essential: With these rights come responsibilities to one another that must be honored and upheld.?

A Possible Political Framework for an Agreement?

Israelis and Palestinians are stuck in a destructive dynamic, and it is essential to find a way to bridge the competing interests of Israel and Hamas so that the hostages can return home and the fighting and Gaza can come to an end. A forward-looking agreement that contributes to all people’s basic security and human rights would represent an even greater achievement.??

Politically, a comprehensive, forward-looking ceasefire agreement could set the stage for a “grand bargain” that deepens Israel’s full integration into the region while providing Palestinains with economic opportunity, equal rights under law, and self-determination.?

This regional integration ought to include a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as additional Arab states.?

To encourage Hamas to accept the agreement and implement the ceasefire, they would enjoy the right to continue to function as an elected party within a Palestinian government through free and fair elections. An international force could help oversee these elections, while preserving security, law and order in Gaza.?

We call on international community actors to offer their full support for a negotiated solution.?Given the decades of failure of prior initiatives, this may be an appropriate time for mediators to relax the strict rhetorical orthodoxy of the two-state solution. A two-state framework remains official U.S. policy, and there are compelling reasons to favor such an outcome. However, a whole range of plans have come under consideration. These include not only one-state outcomes, but federal or confederal proposals as well.?

One advantage of an outcome that includes some form of common administrative element covering the whole of the land is that it provides a vehicle for people to appreciate their connection to the entire region. Such a common body, perhaps in the form of a confederation of two states, can be devoted to upholding the highest ideals, while being managed to create workability in areas such as land and water management, environmental protection, public health, or other areas of common concern.?

Ultimately, international actors must approach the situation with the awareness that it is up to Palestinians and Israelis themselves to choose a political framework that works best for them.?

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Conclusion

Whatever arguments and grievances came before, now is the time for the parties to sit down and do the work to establish a prosperous, accountable framework that honors the humanity and dignity of all.?

Israelis and Palestinians need not be destined to remain in eternal conflict. Some may argue that with the heated fighting, now is not the time for peace. However, the extraordinary human cost of continuing down the current path illustrates that now is precisely the time to lay the foundation and build the framework for a genuine, mutually agreeable state of peace that serves all the people of the region and inspires people around the world.?

Now is the time for each of us, whether on the ground in the region or observing from elsewhere, to summon forth effective leadership and build the cooperation needed to create a genuine and permanent peace.

In Peace,

Matt Lakenbach MEPCF Founder and Executive Director

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