Israel Vs Palestine: Is Peace Possible?
Is there any way for the Palestine-Israel conflict to end without continued bloodshed?
Day by day, the Palestine and Israel conflict seems like it will be a never-ending war of bloodshed between two historically intertwined sides, and peace and cooperation from both sides seem less and less likely to happen.
But is there any way for this conflict to end without one side fighting until no one is left to kill on the other side?
To answer whether this conflict can ever end, let alone peacefully, we must understand its history and context:
The conflict between Palestine and Israel did not begin on October 7. It has been a long-lasting political and cultural issue that has lasted for centuries.
From disputes over the Holy Land of Jerusalem to the current conflict between Palestine (Hamas) and Israel, this conflict is not something that began only a few months ago.
Given the conflict’s long history, there have been many proposed solutions that were set to try to resolve this situation going further.
The solutions that were acted upon unfortunately mostly maintained peace between the sides for a short period and never were full-on solutions that seemed like they would end this conflict, rather than just being something that would prolong the inevitable.
An example of a short-term peace solution was the frequent ceasefires agreed upon by both sides, such as Operation Pillar of Defense.
Operation Pillar of Defense was an eight-day military operation conducted by Israel during a conflict with Palestine from November 14 to November 21, 2012. The ceasefire that followed, proposed by Egypt with the involvement of the United States and other international forces, fell short of sustaining peace between the two sides for a extended period.
This ceasefire is an example of how temporary truces can provide brief periods of stability and open the door for further negotiations, but do not resolve the deeper, more complex issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But returning to the question of whether this conflict can ever truly end.
Here are some possible solutions that could lead to a long-term resolution:
1. An immediate Ceasefire agreed upon by both sides:
As previously mentioned, ceasefires have generally not been viewed as long-lasting solutions to this conflict. Instead, it has been seen as a sort of “break” for the two sides before they go to war again.
However, an immediate ceasefire from both sides, recognizing the mass destruction caused by this prolonged conflict and the danger to civilian lives caught in the crossfire, could compel both sides to stop the bloodshed, even if only temporarily.
If a ceasefire happened now, there is a good chance the conflict could resume where it left off. However, if both sides are willing to cooperate during a hypothetical ceasefire, it could lead to a long-term solution if certain events fall into place.
2. A Two-State Solution Agreed Upon from Both Sides
A two-state solution is a very controversial solution to this conflict. Many people believe it is a peaceful and fair way for this conflict to end, while others think that it is robbing Palestine of the land they rightfully own.
Notably throughout history, the two-state solution has been brought up many times from Israel but has been rejected continuously from Palestine. A call for a two-state solution would require many steps before it can come into action. Most importantly, it would require both sides to be on somewhat good terms for it to happen.
Although that is very unlikely to happen at the current moment, after some time passing and if, hopefully, in the near future this bloody conflict deescalates, with further cooperation from both sides, less tension will allow room for discussions, which is where solutions like the two-state solution could be brought up.
Even though this will require many unlikely events to take place, and is generally unlikely to happen, if certain events fall into place, it could be a long-term solution if both parties are satisfied with the proposed plan which will most likely be from the UN or other international organizations that can propose the plan to both sides.
3. Gradual De-escalation:
This conflict is one of the most infamous and widely discussed issues in the world today. Most people have a general understanding of the conflict and the destruction it causes. It is safe to say that all eyes are on this conflict. However, like other conflicts in history, the intensity and attention can fade over time.
A prime example is the Syrian Civil War. While not identical to the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel, the Syrian Civil War claimed over 500,000 lives and was once at the center of global media attention, which gradually diminished over the years.
Gradual de-escalation doesn’t imply the conflict will end or the tens of thousands of lives lost will be forgotten about. It means that over time, the conflict becomes less destructive and gradually moves out of the spotlight as other political issues emerge.
It suggests that hopefully, if involved governments will eventually focus on other topics , it would cause the death toll to drop significantly, and both sides will shift away from constant warfare, which could lead this conflict to become less and less destructive over time, and allow some time for the two sides to rebuild, and in turn could cause a prolonged time for the two sides to be able to cooperate if initiation from both sides is met.
4. The conflict goes on for decades and does not stop.
Unfortunately, this is the most likely scenario in this case from what is happening. I tried to bring up examples that the conflict could end in ways that were more peaceful than destructive, but the truth of the matter is, both sides seem to have fuel of hatred that could last for centuries, and near, or even far in the future resolution seems very unlikely to happen if incentive from both sides isn’t brought up.
As previously stated, this conflict did not begin on October 7th; it has been going on for centuries
If certain events aren’t met from both sides to defuse this conflict even for a short period, we might be witnessing a conflict that will go on for our entire lifetimes, and that death toll and destruction look like it will never end.
So what can we do?
I previously wrote an article, which talked about my viewpoint on this topic. I highlighted how I do not believe one side is completely in the right, and how people should mourn the loss of human life from both sides, regardless if they are Palestinian or Israeli.
So, continuing from my previous article, I ask that we all put away our differences and work together to make sure the thousands of innocent lives that are being affected day by day in both Palestine and Israel that are caught in the crossfire have hope for a better tomorrow and that their lives are not short-lived because we were able to cooperate to find solutions and unite our forces, rather than letting hatred be the cause of their untimely death.
I understand that this is easier said than done, but even though we cannot control the decisions made by the governments regarding this conflict, we can come together and try to find a middle ground where bloodshed on both sides of the conflict does not go in vain, and we can fight for the voices of the scared innocent Palestinian and Israeli boy and girl who have not eaten in weeks to be heard and fought for.
Thank You for reading this article. This is a very sensitive topic of mine and millions of other people. My intent in writing these articles is to open a doorway for discussion, and for us to come together and come up with solutions and ideas on how we can help the people that are caught in the crossfire in this conflict.
I ask you all not to turn a cheek to one side of the conflict, and try to mourn the loss of human life from both sides. Please check out my previous article on this topic, and add a comment if you would like on this post!
Here are other writers’ articles and videos which, if you liked my article, you should check out!
From Mo Husseini: https://medium.com/@mo-husseini/enough-its-time-to-accept-that-we-re-all-human-and-well-past-time-to-start-acting-like-it-7281049a59b7
From Pularus: https://medium.com/@pluralus/should-israel-negotiate-with-hamas-or-merge-into-a-new-palestine-8d79396bcaa3
My Previous Article on This Topic: https://medium.com/the-unscripted/a-16-year-olds-outsider-point-of-view-on-the-israel-vs-palestine-conflict-37118267116b
Here is a YouTube video which I believe if you liked my article you should check out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jj8vne0ca0
A charity built to support both Palestinians and Israelis in this conflict: https://www.allmep.org/about-us-allmep/
Thank You,
Mahan Nourian
