The Public Servant: Ceasefire Now – The Only Way To End The Cycle Of Violence In Gaza Is A Two-State Solution
The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.
These words by Robert F. Kennedy are fitting at a time when our political leaders in the West seem hellbent on doing the opposite.
Even as someone living in relative comfort on an island over 1,000 miles away, it has been difficult to reflect on the horrors inflicted on our Mediterranean brothers and sisters since 7th October.
Like many, my heartbreak for Israeli victims of Hamas’ violent attack was quickly met by outrage at the disproportionate collective punishment of innocent Palestinians, who are now living under constant bombardment and without access to water, electricity, and communication services. I am just as repulsed by the shameless hypocrisy of Western politicians.
Given the imbalance of power involved in this conflict between state and non-state actors, Israel and the West could have set a historic precedent for peaceful conflict resolution by considering the long-term consequences of full-scale, indiscriminate military retaliation.
They did not.
Instead, they chose to repeat the devastating errors of the US response to 9/11. Losing the moral high ground, causing a humanitarian catastrophe, radicalising generations of Palestinians, and turning the entire Arab world against the West. All while playing into the hands of extremists whose only aim was to spoil any prospects for peace.
After rapidly galvanising against Russia’s brutal occupation of Ukraine, Western leaders ignore the fact that its negligent preservation of the status quo has directly contributed to Israel’s 56-year occupation of Palestine — the longest occupation in modern history.
On the same weekend that Western leaders met in Malta in support of Ukraine’s peace plan, many including the US, Germany, Italy, the UK, and even Ukraine, either voted against or abstained in a UN General Assembly vote on a non-binding Resolution calling for a sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.
Worse still, they have gaslighted their populations through a flawed analogy linking Ukraine’s struggle for freedom to Israel’s right to self-defence, propagating a distorted reality in which the State of Israel is not the oppressor.
The knee-jerk visits to Israel by Malta’s own Roberta Metsola and European Commission President Von der Leyen, as well as President Biden’s pledge of unconditional support, are emblematic of the West’s deceit and lack of a strategic vision for peace in the region.
EU and US leaders are now scrambling to qualify their grandstanding and selective condemnations through hollow calls for “pauses” to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of Israel’s siege on Gaza.
All the while, Nil Barakata, Israel’s Economy Minister and a senior member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s security cabinet, has said that destroying Hamas outweighs concerns over civilian casualties and hostages, “even if it takes a year”.
Preventing civilian casualties in conflict is an integral part of international humanitarian law, while over 200 hostages remain held inside Gaza. What, then, is the West’s strategy here? Are European and American leaders really going to support such a protracted war and discount thousands of senseless deaths as mere collateral damage?
The only route to removing Hamas from the equation is through a sea change in Israel and the West’s approach towards Palestinians.
Attempting to restrain Palestinians and either displace or keep them under indefinite military occupation, denying them the rights and liberties that Israel and the West profess to be built on, will only lead to more bloodshed and misery.
It is entirely possible to support Palestinian statehood without desiring the annihilation of Israel, just as it is entirely possible to support Israel’s right to self-defence without enabling genocide, apartheid, and mass forced displacement.
As difficult as it is, both sides must reject the impulses of ideology and vengeance. Revenge only strengthens those on the receiving end. Even if Israel destroys Hamas’ physical presence inside Gaza, they will only be reinforcing the idea of violent resistance.
The only way to end the cycle of violence is to make all efforts towards an alternative, and this must be a Two-State Solution. This Israeli government, however, is fundamentally opposed to Palestinian statehood. By condoning Israeli settlers’ attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the Netanyahu administration also confirms its ideological objective of absolute control over all of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
It is therefore up to Israel’s Western sponsors to compel Israel to cease hostilities and work towards a lasting peace. In this pursuit, nothing should be off-the-table, including withdrawing financial, military, and political support if Israel extends its violent occupation and disregard for international law.
Maltese citizens will be proud to know that our diplomats in New York are working with the nine other elected members of the UN Security Council towards arriving at consensual text on a ceasefire that will be agreeable to all members, including the veto-wielding Permanent Five. The US is almost certain to maintain its reprehensible stance and block these efforts once again.
Even so, exerting maximum pressure and calling for a ceasefire in Palestine remain crucial.
We must continue to remind our elected representatives that serving in public life is pointless if they are not ready to stand up for humanity when it truly matters.
The Public Servant is a new Lovin Malta series aiming to make Malta better. Having verified their credentials, Lovin Malta has agreed to keep this individual’s identity concealed.
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