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An Answer(No Justice No peace) Michael T. McPhearson Aug 2002 The road to peace is not paved with good deeds and intentions. Nor is it to be traveled by the weak of stomach and mind. One must make tough choices and rely on faith to follow the road to peace. Faith in the Divine or humanity, either is sufficient. But if one’s faith lies in a tribal, ethnic, national or religious identity and not in humanity, peace is impossible. The lens used to see the road to peace is justice. Simply stated, no justice no peace. The Israelis and Palestinians are people in search of justice but blinded by their ideas of identity. Ethnic and national interests are more important than their shared humanity. The conflict seems beyond answers. But the answers lie in respect for human life, the recognition of an individual’s right to be treated with dignity, and the expression of these values in social and economic outcomes. If we look at each side as human first and then as Israeli or Palestinian we will find answers. I identify with the pain of the Israelis and Palestinians as they look for their brands of justice. I too am a nationalist and a patriot. I am pro U.S.A. and I believe in our ideals of freedom and justice. I want those responsible for the World Trade Center attack brought to justice. But there is a point when I have to put what it means to be an American and any of my other identities into perspective. My Blackness, my maleness, my Southern heritage, my status as a Gulf War Veteran all demand equal time and equal voice. All these parts of my identity are valuable and deserve recognition. But the one part of me that would remain the same if I were born a white woman in Albania is my humanity. My humanity is the core of my identity. Our humanity is the core of all of us. This view may be idealistic, but it is also the simple truth. My African American heritage teaches me that ethnic groups can find relatively peaceful ways to workout their political differences. There are few disputes more poignant than the one between the former slave and the former master. My ancestors set aside their anger to voluntarily take part in the American experiment. They did not let ethnic ambitions rise above the notion of peoples working to form a more perfect union. Their example teaches me that I should expect all groups of people to workout their differences in a relatively non-violent way. I expect it from myself. I am sure you expect no less from your neighbors, and I expect it from the Palestinians and Israelis. Principled pragmatism carries idealism to realism. The Goal Most people want to live in a safe environment with social and economic opportunity. Most people want to be able to take care of themselves and or their family. This must be the vision of group justice for all of Israel and Palestine. Anything short of this vision will leave people angry and violent. This is a principled goal that favors no one. What are the details of the vision? The foundation is a general environment in which a large majority of Palestinians understand that an Israeli state exists and will continue to exist. Attempts to create a situation that will bring the collapse of Israel are futile and will only lead to more Palestinian suffering. A majority of Israelis must recognize that for Israel to exist in relative peace and security there must be a thriving Palestinian state. Leaders from both parties must understand that together they have the responsibility to help create the type of economic prosperity in Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan that provides jobs and security to the common person so that they can raise families and see progress from hard work. Only then will there be peace in the region. Who Should Take The Lead? As the only global power, the U.S. may be the only country that can help Israelis and Palestinians find peace. The international community, led by the United States must be committed to and be prepared for a long process of many decades, and they must provide military personnel to help enforce security and the rule of law. The industrialized nations must employ material and human resources to create economic opportunity. The U.S. in particular must understand that the price for justice is blood and stay determined to see the process through. While the American people do not want to see their soldiers die, I think the people of America are willing to support a process at the expense of American lives if there is progress. The People are tired of this issue, but they know that it cannot be ignored and that America must continue to be engaged. Americans want to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I believe we are willing to carry the torch until that light is found. The Process
We cannot condone or excuse the Israeli or Palestinian reliance on violence to solve their problems. But we cannot continue to predicate the beginning or continuation of the peace process on the end of violent Palestinian resistance. We must understand that Hamas and similar organizations will not suddenly stop being violent. Yassar Arafat is not in full control of the actions taken by many organized Palestinian groups. He may or may not have direct or indirect knowledge of attacks on Israeli civilians, but it is certain that Hamas and other violent resistance movement organizations are not concerned with anybody’s wishes but their own. Their minds must be changed or they must be captured. Israel’s reactionary military retaliation is a victory for violent radicals who which to halt the peace process. Incursions into Palestinian territories by the Israeli Army only serve to alienate common people who then aspire to be martyrs. The only thing that will dry up the reservoir of people willing to die and the anger that spurs them is economic and social opportunity. They must believe and see that another future is possible. Israel must be prepared to take bold and faithful steps. Israel must commit itself to peace and not wait for the Palestinians. Israel controls the destiny of the region. It can control this destiny through faith in humanity or faith in the gun. This is probably the most difficult reality for Israel to accept. Arab States Key Muslim and Arab countries must provide economic and moral support to the Palestinian people. They must also agree to be part of the international Peace and Security Force in Palestine/Israel. Most importantly Muslim nations and the Arab states in particular must stop supporting violent Palestinian resistance. They must put continuous pressure on resistance organizations to use non-violent means for change. The United States and the international community must pressure the Arab nations to follow this road. Arab states cooperation is crucial for the success of the peace process. Violent Palestinian resistance and anti-Israel groups undoubtedly receive funding and other forms of support from the Arab world. Government support for violent organizations must end and private funding must be brought to a trickle. The Arab nations must lend their moral support to the Palestinians as they rebuild their lives and help the region develop its economy. A part from the people in Israel, Palestine and the immediate surrounding communities the Arab governments have the most to loose in the conflict. Many of their citizens are unhappy with Western world dominance and particularly U.S. political and cultural local influence in their lives. U.S. support of Israel in the conflict acts as a reminder of U.S. power. It is in the best interest of the Arab regimes to realize that Israel is in the region to stay, America’s power will not be waning in the near future and their continued ability to rule rest on stability and relative peace in whole of the “Middle East.” The Peace and Security Force In the early stages of the process the Peace and Security Force (PSF) may be the most important on the ground component. I have substituted security for keeping because the soldiers’ real mission is to provide security by acting as a buffer between Israel and Palestine. The PSF’s main challenge will be to treat the Palestinians with respect and dignity while safe guarding Israelis from suicide bomb attacks. The force will also have the arduous task of effectively assisting the Palestinian Authorities in policing, investigating and pursuing those Palestinians who resort to violent resistance methods. It is essential that the ethnic, national and religious makeup of this force represent all interested parties. Arab and other Islamic nations must play key roles in this force. There will be casualties. Soldiers will die. There will be suicide bombings in Israel and Israelis will die because as the process moves forward Palestinian and possibly Israelis who do not wish to see Palestine and Israel peacefully coexist will commit acts of violence in attempts to derail the process. Members of the PSF must be diligent and act in good faith as they pursue all perpetrators of violence. Security must be provided to Israelis and Palestinians so that both sides believe the PSF is doing its job in the interest of the greater peace. If Israel and the United States are willing to take the lead on a peace plan that puts people first, national interest will be met because the needs of the people are the needs of the nations. If both countries put nationalism and ethnicity before human interest violence will continue with no hope for an end. Once the first step down the road I described is taken Israel and the United States must remain committed to the process. The price of freedom and peace is blood. Violence or peace, on either road people will die. But it is better to die on the road to peace than in a cycle of violence with no end in sight. Martyrs and lives lost in a cycle of violence are names to be mourned and the question why never answered. But the lives sacrificed by peacemakers act as markers along the journey. Their lives are celebrated and their stories retold generation after generation to the children of families once divided in violence. Now bound together in a common history in the struggle for peace.
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The
key to beginning the process is to control the controllable and
patiently wait until those things, which are uncontrollable, come
under our (U.S.) influence. With that said Israel must be prepared
to conduct a unilateral end to the violence. This entails the
following:
