Good will and compromise key to ME peace

A sudden eruption of conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians has aggravated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and sent shock waves around the globe.

Amid threats of escalation from both sides, there is an urgent need for diplomatic efforts to broker a truce and then a peace deal, which can be only achieved with sincere compromises contributed by both sides.

The roots of the conflict trace back to the aftermath of World War II, when the state of Israel was established in 1948 on land also claimed by Palestinians. Both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs lay historical, religious and nationalist claims to the same territory. Since then, cycles of wars, uprisings and retaliatory attacks have defined the relationship and Israel has expanded its control of land through settlement expansion. Recent flare-ups like the one seen in Gaza demonstrate the volatile nature of the conflict and high human costs involved.

With competing claims and deep-seated grievances on both sides, a diplomatic solution will not be easy but must be pursued with determination.

Prolonged occupation and expansion of settlements in the West Bank violates international law and renders more difficult a solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live securely and peacefully as neighbors. For Palestinians, violence and rocket attacks against Israeli civilian areas will not achieve their goals either. A peace deal must address the rights and interests of both peoples.

A diplomatic solution based on international law and U.N. resolutions needs to see to an end of the Israeli occupation and settlement expansion in areas captured in the 1967 war, including East Jerusalem and the West Bank. It also requires acknowledging key documents such as the Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for the normalization of relations and a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders.

Both parties’ core security concerns must be addressed through genuine compromise. Israel is entitled to safe borders, while Palestinians deserve self-governance and sovereignty over viable contiguous lands. Solutions could include an international peacekeeping force, phased troop withdrawal, and safeguards against smuggled arms.

Also, to that end, it’s necessary for moderate mainstream politicians from both sides to triumph and win the support of their peoples over rejectionist fringes. Other countries should provide help through diplomacy to strengthen their hands against rejectionists from Hamas and ultra-nationalist Israelis.

As sustainable peace requires more than an end to hostilities and can only be secured with economic development that provides hope to the people, the international community needs to invest in Palestine’s infrastructure and connect its population to global markets and opportunities. Israel too stands to gain from peace dividends.

Coordinated multilateral diplomacy presents the best hope for peace.

Regional peace conferences like the one held in 1991 in Madrid, where Israel sat down at face-to-face negotiations with all its immediate neighbors, could be organized to build momentum.

(The author is a Beijing-based commentator.)