The Arab-Israeli conflict: America – and Americans – can be part of the solution

With the end of the latest Gaza flare-up, I believe it is time for each of us to consider what role we can play to end the suffering for the long term. A big part of the solution will be the roles the United States people and government play.

 Due to a variety of reasons, Israel has enjoyed unquestioned support in the U.S. In my opinion, that has been the single most significant obstacle to the resolution of the conflict. Not only has the U.S. been unwilling or unable to perform the role of an honest broker in the conflict, it has consistently blocked United Nations efforts to pursue a reasonable resolution.

I believe that the next time Americans see a U.N. vote on the Middle East conflict that results in 122 votes for and three votes against – Costa Rica, Israel and the U.S. – they should raise some questions. We must ask our representatives where they stand on this issue. For a politician to simply state “I support Israel” is no more meaningful than saying they support Belgium. We must ask what is it exactly that they support? Do they support a just resolution to the conflict based on international law that clearly states that the West Bank and Gaza are occupied territories?

The solution to the Middle East conflict is well-known, and has been for years: Two states based on the 1967 borders, with minor modifications to accommodate Israel’s security needs, and to ensure unhindered Jewish, Christian and Muslim access to Jerusalem. Israel and Palestine are the two states; not Israel, bordered between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, and the Palestinians transferred elsewhere. That will not happen. The Palestinians are just as attached to that land as the Jewish people are, and any suggestions that they will simply disappear is delusional.

 So, the obvious question: If the solution is so simple, why are we not there yet? The reason is that Israel has no incentive at this point to achieve a solution. Sure, the Palestinians are a nuisance to them, and they are a burden on the conscience of many moderate Israelis, but they do not truly disrupt the Israelis’ march toward prosperity and a higher standard of living.

On the other hand, Israel continues to silently pursue its confiscation of West Bank land, and attempts to squeeze the Palestinians out. That is seen by the Israeli government as a much more attractive option: It appeases the radicals within Israeli society, and conceivably creates progress toward an all-Jewish state.

The concept of the separation of church and state does not only work well for Western democracies, it works well for everyone. To cite literal translations of the Bible, Koran and Torah will only lead us to perpetual bloodshed. Religion must be taken out of this conflict, and the focus must be on practical, sustainable solutions.

As it stands now, there are about 6 million Israeli Jews living in Israel, and there also are about 5 million Muslim and Christian Palestinians living in Israel and the occupied territories. The Palestinian birth rate is about double the Israelis’. I believe that an examination of the mathematics involved makes it very clear that for Israel to achieve its national dream of a Jewish state, there is a need for a national divorce: The two people must be physically separated to end this conflict.

Yes, there are Palestinian political parties that do not currently recognize Israel, but the majority of Palestinians do recognize Israel and have supported talks between the two parties. Mind you, there are several Israeli political parties currently in the government that do not recognize the Palestinians’ right to exist, and have openly advocated the principle of “transfer”; that is, transferring Palestinians to Jordan.

Allowing the extremists on both sides, those that advocate there is no Israel or no Palestine, to set the tone of this discussion is a proposition that leads nowhere but to further conflict. Both nations exist, both need to live in peace and security. Anything else will lead us nowhere other than to bloodshed and continued injustice.

 It is not true that these two parties have always fought and always will. There is a solution. When this conflict flares up again and you watch CNN broadcast breaking news of Middle East violence, do not dismiss it as a natural occurrence that we cannot influence. Each of us has a vote, can elect to boycott certain products, and can raise our voices in protest at every possible opportunity.