WDM EDITORIAL
For many years, we have been listening to Middle East experts, political pundits, and state actors on how to settle the perennial violence and existential political crisis there. There are two potential solutions these experts put forward:
1. Two-state solution in Palestine with Arabs/Palestinians and Jews living side by side in peace. That wouldn’t sit well with the Jewish Zionists.
2. One-state solution for both the Jews and Palestinians. That is an unacceptable option again for the Jewish population, demanding an exclusive Jewish state. They are fearful of being outnumbered by the Palestinian Arabs.
This analysis and proposals, however, ignore the core of the problem, which is the Arabs and Jews aren’t ready to accept each other – each one wants to get rid of the other, let alone living together or living side by side. The Arabs believe Israel was planted there by Western nations for their own strategic interests to suppress the supposedly unpredictable and unreliable Arab Muslims in the region, and to use Israel to prevent Iranian, Russian, and Chinese influences in the Middle East. The Jews, especially Zionists, claim Bible rights not only to exist in historical Palestine but beyond its borders. However, they know that can’t be achieved without a fight through a lot of destruction of both Arab and Jewish lives and properties. They had to arm themselves to the teeth and build a mighty army, using Western funds, modern arms, and technology, mainly from the United States, but also from Britain. Germany, and even from Japan, to become the only nuclear power in the Middle East.
Another core issue of the situation is that unless the human rights of both Jews and Palestinians are recognised and respected as equal beings, there is little worth talking about any other solution. So, instead of promoting the establishment of two-state or one-state solutions, the rights of people to life with dignity must come first. Unless the Palestinians and Jews understand this fundamental right, there is nothing else that can be done to address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. A Jewish state will not survive forever with force and violence. It isn’t too late now to choose peace with the Arabs and vice versa. Arabs too must understand that Israel is here to stay.
Warsame Policy & Media Network (WAPMEN) 