DistantNews
🇮🇱 Israel /Conflict & Security

Starting from the end: Resolving Israeli-Palestinian conflict is key to regional peace - opinion

From Jerusalem Post · (3h ago) English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The author argues that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is crucial for broader regional peace, despite the Abraham Accords.
  • He contends that Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran cannot be defeated militarily and that political-diplomatic solutions are necessary.
  • A two-state framework, based on the 1967 lines, is presented as the viable solution to the core conflict, which underpins other regional tensions.

From our perspective at The Jerusalem Post, the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, exacerbated by the events of October 7, 2023, underscores a fundamental truth often overlooked in international discourse: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the linchpin of regional stability. While the Abraham Accords represented a significant diplomatic achievement, fostering normalization between Israel and several Arab nations, they have inadvertently created an illusion that peace could be attained without addressing the core Palestinian issue. This perspective, though pragmatic in its pursuit of strategic alliances, has proven insufficient in achieving genuine, lasting peace.

The war that began on October 7, 2023, may be officially over. But the conflicts that underlie it have not been addressed. That is why Hamas still controls more than two million Palestinians in Gaza. That is why Hamas remains armed. That is why Hezbollah has not been dismantled. That is why Iran remains the principal adversary of both Israel and the United States.

— Gershon BaskinArguing that the underlying conflicts persist despite the cessation of major hostilities.

Our analysis, shared by seasoned observers like Gershon Baskin, indicates that the military capabilities of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, supported by Iran, cannot be eradicated through force alone. These are not merely terrorist organizations but political entities with deep roots, necessitating political-diplomatic solutions. The current approach, which seems to prioritize strategic partnerships over resolving the Palestinian question, risks perpetuating a cycle of conflict. The limited people-to-people engagement even in normalized countries highlights that these are primarily governmental arrangements, not comprehensive peace agreements.

Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be defeated militarily, nor will they surrender. There is no purely military solution to these conflicts, and there never has been.

— Gershon BaskinStating the limitations of military action against regional adversaries.

Therefore, we maintain that a resolution based on a two-state framework—two states for two peoples, situated between the river and the sea—is not just a desirable outcome but a necessary one. This approach, which has been advocated and worked towards by various Israeli and Palestinian peace advocates for decades, offers a tangible path forward. It acknowledges the legitimate aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians and provides a structure for coexistence. Ignoring this fundamental conflict, as the Abraham Accords have somewhat done, only allows the underlying issues to fester, jeopardizing any broader regional peace efforts and leaving Israel in a perpetual state of strategic vulnerability.

There are, however, viable political-diplomatic solutions – especially when backed by credible military power and the willingness to use it. Until now, those solutions have not been seriously pursued.

— Gershon BaskinProposing political-diplomatic solutions as the necessary path forward.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog