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Out of destruction in Gaza there needs to come a lasting peace

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CROYDON COMMENTARY: As the conflict in Palestine enters its seventh month, JERRY FITZPATRICK, as a Croydon Jew, puts forward his views on the intractable issues in the Middle East and what is needed to end 75 years of war

Ceasefire now: Croydon groups have protested against the military action in Gaza. Focus now must be on a lasting peace

I am a secular Jewish Croydon resident who belongs to a synagogue and participates in community duties. I express an individual view.

In respect of the current war in Gaza, there are as many different Jewish views as non-Jewish.

Much discussion on the war has focused on moral and legal dimensions. I have nothing new to say about those. I am writing today about the political dimension. In particular, about what will need to happen post-ceasefire to achieve lasting peace.

Numerous previous diplomatic initiatives brokered by the United States have not achieved success. A 2007-2008 initiative brokered by the British Labour Government then under Gordon Brown showed promise that a deal was achievable. Discussions did not shy away from such issues as the Israelis withdrawing from settlements in occupied territory and the division of Jerusalem.

The then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has written: “We were inches away, within a hair’s breadth of fulfilling the dreams of Israelis who longed for peace.”

Of course, both Israelis and Palestinians long for peace. It is a simple fact and not to be forgotten. It must be the backcloth to what must happen when the ceasefire comes.

It may come very soon. And it is essential that this post-ceasefire space is filled urgently by resumed peace talks. Two matters must be prioritised:

These key objectives will not be fulfilled without Israeli withdrawal from settlements in the West Bank or without the division of Jerusalem. Nor will they be fulfilled unless Israel has border security.

President Biden’s administration in the US has been clear that the creation of a Palestinian state is one essential condition to solving Israel’s security issues. This view is either explicitly or implicitly shared not only by other western leaders but also Russia, China and most Arab states neighbouring Israel and Palestine.

When the ceasefire comes, Hamas will not have been destroyed. At most, it will be weakened in some respects. Israel has lost support across the world. Hamas will not have lost support among Palestinians.

The peace process will not work without the involvement of the global superpowers and the leaders of the neighbouring Arab states.

Nor will it work without the involvement of those whom Israelis and Palestinians want to represent their respective interests. People on both sides who express brutal words, and who commit brutal actions.

Leaders of both sides have also been able at times to dial down the brutality and talk to each other.

Both FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela were needed to transition South Africa into democracy. Both Martin McGuinness and the Rev Ian Paisley were needed to transition Northern Ireland into peace.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, and Hamas have earned the contempt and hatred of many. But it may be that both are essential to transition Israel and Palestine from a 75-year war to the opportunity of lasting peace and stability.

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