Peace in the Middle East?

Last September, peace in the Middle East finally felt imminent. During that month, exactly one year ago, President Obama called for a peaceful Israeli and Palestine state side-by-side within a year; the UN determined the Palestinian Authority would institutionally be ready for statehood in a year; and US-facilitated peace talks between the Palestinian and Israeli leadership began anew.

Now, it is hard to believe how greatly such hopes have been crushed. Peace talks ended almost as soon as they began, after the Israeli government refused to extend the moratorium on settlement construction that the Palestinians and US demanded. Violence has intensified on both sides, escalating this summer as extremist groups in Gaza and Israeli authorities traded fire, catching civilians in the fray. A two-state solution now seems almost impossible, as the map of the West Bank shrinks due to Israel’s continued construction of the Separation Barrier and settlements, both illegal by international law, and demolition of Palestinian homes, schools and livelihoods. Now the situation appears to be coming to a head once again, as the Palestinian Authority arrives in New York on September 19^th to submit to the United Nations an application for statehood.

Whether or not Palestine is recognized as a state, the implications will be dire. This is not to say that the application is unwarranted or unilateral (in fact I would argue the opposite), but rather this is a comment on the realities of the conflict. Many have predicted a “Third Intifada,” regardless of the outcome at the UN, as Palestinians respond and protest the Israeli occupation.

Israeli defense and counterterrorism has always operated with the philosophy of harsh deterrence, responding to any perceived threats with a disproportionate response, a silencing punishment to deter further action. It is not expected that the Israeli government will handle Palestinian protests any differently, even though Palestinian groups advocate peaceful resistance, in the style of the Arab Spring.

Last week, the Israeli army confirmed that it was training Israeli settlers in the West Bank, providing tear gas and stun grenades, to handle any unrest after the UN campaign. Settler-violence against Palestinians and their property has already increased more than 50% this year, and this preparation encourages further clashes. As relations deteriorate, once again, a solution feels all the more unreachable and any efforts at peace seem futile.

However it is important to remember that even now, peace is not out of the question. The story of Budrus, a village in the West Bank, reminds us that glimmers of hope remain, despite the odds. In 2008, the village of Budrus staged peaceful protests of the Israeli Separation Barrier, whose construction would split their village and dividing their home from their farmland.

Israelis and international activists joined Palestinians of all ideological backgrounds in these protests, and their cooperative work for peace saved the village. Since this success, joint Israeli and Palestinian peace groups have protested the Barrier together in other villages. It is these people, full of compassion, understanding, and determination, who offer hope for peace. While the news unfolds in the upcoming weeks, it is important to remember that no matter how bleak the outlook, true peacemakers exist on both sides of the divide. We must place our hopes for a peace in the Middle East in these leaders and support their continued strength, solidarity, and struggle.

The story of Budrus and its peaceful protests of the Israeli Separation Barrier will be shown through a Documentary screening and Q&A session next Tuesday, 9/20, at 7:00 in the Oak Room.