In times of violence and retribution it is difficult to think clearly. In the wake of the horrific attack by Hamas, in which gunmen butchered unarmed Israelis, and in the wake of the brutal bombing of Gaza neighborhoods by the Israeli military, everyone wants revenge. Reputable estimates suggested that as of October 12 more than 1,300 Israelis and more than 1,500 Palestinians had already been killed in the fighting.
As the Israeli military prepares for a ground assault on the Gaza Strip, Palestinians and Israelis face a crucial turning point: further war or a quest for peace.
There is only one decent, humane answer that doesn’t lead to mass death. An immediate and total ceasefire, followed by the return of all hostages taken by Hamas, followed by a binding and internationally-mediated peace process that creates an independent, sovereign Palestinian state. This last demand is generally referred to as the two-state settlement and is widely recognized internationally as the best and most plausible path to peace and self-determination for Israel and Palestine.
Jingoistic commentators in the United States, including liberals, centrists, and conservatives, insist otherwise. Indeed they will tell you that the only decent and just answer is for Israel to invade the Gaza Strip and wipe out Hamas.
Let’s be clear about what this mainstream demand entails: massive death. Untold thousands (or worse) of dead Palestinian civilians, buried in rubble as the Gaza Strip is reduced to a burnt out wasteland. Roughly two million Palestinian civilians who, if they survive, will see their only homes turned to ash. Not to mention an untold number of dead Israeli soldiers, young men and women who will die in the brutal urban warfare about to ensue.
Are these not human beings? Are all of the Israelis and Palestinians about to die not mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters?
We are being told that justice and decency require the massive slaughter of thousands of human beings with no end in sight. This is wrong.
Or we could take a hopeful step towards a better future. Three demands, all of them non-violent, all of them geared toward allowing Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace.
Immediate and total ceasefire. Return of all hostages taken by Hamas. An internationally-mediated and binding peace process that creates an independent and sovereign Palestine.
Which choice is actually extreme? A hopeful, even utopian grasp for peace, or endless death and slaughter?
This is a plea for peace.