Reflections on the 20th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination, Part 2
I recently came back from a very interesting and enriching visit in the West-bank and in Israel. Although it was not my first visit in Israel, it was my very first visit in Palestine. I had the privilege of meeting a wide range of very interesting people on both sides and got exposed to a lot of fascinating new perspectives; I can only wish I had stayed longer to learn more.
The more I think over the conflict the more I am convinced that the Two-State solution remains the preferable political “software” to accommodate the very complex and difficult nation-building processes -and their inner contradictions- on both sides. Nations continues to be the most powerful concept for collective identification at scale to date, and for decades to come. We have to accept it even if we envision moving beyond it, especially to address 21st century global issues!
Although I am far from being an expert and remain an outsider to the region, the foundation for a lasting peace appears to me as the emergence of a robust middle class in Palestine and the inclusion of Arab Israelis into the Zionist project in Israel. Not easy…. But not impossible.
To help solve the complex dilemmas that lie in front to achieve that, we will probably need to innovate around the articulation of the two components which form the concept of “nation-state”. The association dates back to the 17th century when identity dynamics where much slower and simpler than now; and that too, predominantly local.The driving force towards a lasting peace appears to me as a complex mix of independence and interdependence applied to land and resources in a context of scarcity… while population is growing fast.
Some Palestinians and Israelis look at the European construction as a possible example/path (each situation is unique of course) of institutional innovation endeavored to move towards “post-nation-statism”, while in the process respecting diverse people/nations with a long history of violent hatred. I think (but I am biased of course) that relying on the European construction could indeed be useful in the case of the Israel-Palestine conflict and that a federal/con-federal mix customized to the situation of Israel-Palestine (+regional powers) could create the framework for a lasting peace.
It will take time anyway; probably (and sadly), several generations; and more bloodshed, just like in Europe. But we have no choice (and I am not a fatalist!). What Israelis and Palestinians have being going through during the 20th century, is somehow a metaphor of what awaits humanity at large in the 21st century, as we are collectively failing at addressing climate change. Indeed, as a result of sea rise and other dramatic climatic events foreseeable in the 21st century, we are very likely to see in many parts of the world massive waves of “climate refugees/displaced”.
Whether it is in Europe, Asia, Africa or America, people from very different cultures will thus have to learn to live together and share land/resources, much like Israelis and Palestinians are trying to do now. I have a lot of respects for the complexity and acuteness of the conflict and for what Israeli and Palestinian nation-builders are trying to achieve. They can definitely count on my support.
Nicolas Miailhe,
Co-founder, The Future Society at HKS
Co-Convener, People for Global Transformation
