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Uri Katz
  • Uri Katz
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • United States

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How do we make peace between Israel and Palestine?

Lets take it for granted that both sides are to blame in this conflict, and neither is going to disappear off the face of the earth any time soon.
Answers like "make love not war" would without a doubt work, but I am hoping for a little more substance.
If, like me, you think peace is only achievable in a distant future, but we have to begin working on it now, that is something I would like to hear, especially what we should be doing now.
If you know of a faster track to peace, all the better.

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Closing Statement from Uri Katz

I would like to personally thank all the participants in this conversation.
I think we all recognized the immense difficulty this problem poses. At the same time, most people acknowledged that there is plenty that can be done, not all hope is lost.
Here are a few answers I collected. This is not a summary, only a list of the suggestions I think have the greatest potential to lead to peace. Each stands on it own, but together they have the most power. If we start implementing these ideas, sooner or later the reality in the region will change and a more direct path to peace will become apparent:

1. Instead of broadcasting yet another suicide bomber, give peace a chance by trumpeting every peaceful attempt by both sides.

2. Deflate the issue so that people see it not as cultural & religious issue, but as a localized dispute over resources and land. Then we can ask what a just division of these would be.

3. Recruit moderate religious leader.

4. Understand the other side as best as possible. How are they different? How we are they similar? Make sure your education is fact based and not propaganda.

5. Teach and practice forgiveness, which is key to all true conflict resolution
Also practice: Tolerance, Compassion, Acceptance, Appreciation

6. Remove all hate, and all us-them mentality, from school syllabuses.

7. Both side need to stop looking at themselves as victims. They are not victims of each other or of the larger world. They should take responsibility for their lives and actions.

8. The blame game does not help.

9. Historical arguments are usually used to advance one sided justification for violence and war, as such they are ineffective in the struggle toward peace.

10. Create joint projects such as competitive sporting events.

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    Theodore A. Hoppe 200+

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    Feb 8 2013: "We" cannot "make peace between Israel and Palestine."
    They have to forge the peace between themselves.
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      Juliette Zahn 50+

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      Feb 10 2013: "WE", as a world community, can and must provide the moral support that any two people (nations) need in order for peace to be conceived and thrive.
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        Theodore A. Hoppe 200+

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        Feb 10 2013: Haven't we, the US, been at this since forever? Forging a peace with Israel caused Anwar Sadat his life. A peace could be declared today by the leaders, and people would still continue fighting each other.
        The "world community" is who, mostly western corporate interests? Most of the world Africa, India, the Far East, pays little attention to these two groups. And clearly, there are some nations that have no interest in a peaceful settlement to the Middle East conflicts.
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      Uri Katz

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      Feb 10 2013: I'll rephrase the question, how would you make peace if you were a citizen of one of the warring nations? You can answer from the point of view of either or both.
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        Theodore A. Hoppe 200+

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        Feb 10 2013: I would rope off Gaza and declare it to be a part of New Jersey.
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        Juliette Zahn 50+

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        Feb 10 2013: Hi Uri,

        There is only one way for peace:

        Tolerance -----> Compassion -----> Acceptance-----> Appreciation

        "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." (Mother Teresa)

        Solution A ) RONNY EDRY SHOULD BE THE PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL.
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          Theodore A. Hoppe 200+

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          Feb 11 2013: Solution "A" makes as much sense as my joking response. Loving your enemy does not stop them from killing you.
          Maybe Ronny Edry SHOULD be the president of Israel, but why isn't he?
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        Juliette Zahn 50+

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        Feb 11 2013: Thank you Theodore :-) and what an Excellent question:-)

        ❤Ask yourself and all others this my friend: Maybe it is time to stop making visionary geniuses ride in the back of our bus, while we place myopics in our driver seat.

        http://www.ted.com/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology.html

        " Man's infinite appetite for distraction will ruin us" (Huxley)....Which appetite do we choose to feed?

        You don't have to be a minority to Be kind Dear Sir.
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          Theodore A. Hoppe 200+

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          Feb 11 2013: Even Seligman has back away from "positive psychology." But that's not the topic here.

          I envy you your innocent view of the human kind and the world.
          No one is "making visionary (so call) geniuses ride the back of the bus" as you have put it.
          The reason Ronny Edry is not the president of Israel is because he never ran for the office.
          Similarly, we do not place "myopics in our driver seat," they get elected by others that do not share your views.

          Please don't take this the wrong way. I am a strong supporter of Karen Armstrong's call for a more compassionate world. Visit the "Charter for Compassion." It is a great concept that TED help to fund. How many have signed the charter, inform us?
          http://charterforcompassion.org/

          I am realistic to accept that I am in the minority.
          You are in the minority as well.

          **on a personal note: My name is "Theodore" not Ted. Let's be respectful and not condescending.

    • shawn disney 10+

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      Feb 11 2013: Theodore : the problem about what you propose is that the two "themselves" that you are talking about , Israel, and Palestine, are quite artificial, short lived entities dreamed up by foreigners for their own advantage. The present day residents of both areas have more or less missed out on the 500 year experience of "being a nation". The Arabs because of the Turks, and the Jews because of the Europeans.
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        Theodore A. Hoppe 200+

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        Feb 11 2013: Re: entities dreamed up by foreigners for their own advantage.

        Please explain the perceived advantages.

        • shawn disney 10+

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          Feb 11 2013: theodore: I would not be the right person to explain the attractiveness of being an empire to people., but it is attractive to many, clearly . We have much experience , and relationships , with the British Empire. Once the ruler of 25% of the world,(which its members could feel proud of, even if they were impoverished themselves), it proceeded to implode, because of arrogance and blunders. In my view, Americans were kind of unconsciously wishing to do the same, only better. Dating from Teddy Roosevelts' time, or even much earlier. So we have succeeded: we are now bankrupting ourselves exactly as the British did, even in the same places. Perceived advantages: the sense of superiority one gets from helping "backward" natives to straighten out their religions, their economies, and their politics. Much to the supposed financial benefit of the Empire, but actually to small groups of clever people who succeeded in bamboozling their neighbors. I would not characterize it as a success, though it was certainly dramatic and interesting. IOh, by the way, the basic Imperial idea of "Divide and Conquer" gives the Empire the ability to get the natives fighting against each other, making it much easier to pacify any resistors. In our day, we have created the Puppet State of "South Vietnam" hoping that they would be able to contain Vietnamese Nationalism, Later on, it was much the same with "Iraq" and "afghanistan" The Russians have always done the same thing with Poles, Chechens, in fact the whole Soviet Bloc. I don't see it as any kind of improvement.
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        Theodore A. Hoppe 200+

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        Feb 11 2013: So in other words, you have little knowledge of the history of Palestine.
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Israel

        What is the Balfour Declaration? Who was behind it?

        "Although coming under the sway of various empires and home to a variety of ethnicities, the area of ancient Israel was predominantly Jewish until the Jewish–Roman wars after which Jews became a minority in most regions, except Galilee. The area became increasingly Christian after the 3rd century and then largely Muslim from the 7th century conquest up until at least the middle of the 20th century. After the Roman conquest, the area of ancient Israel became known as the Holy Land or Palestine. It was a focal point of conflict between Christianity and Islam between 1096 and 1291, and from the end of the Crusades until the British conquest in 1917 was part of the Syrian province of first the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and then (from 1517) the Ottoman Empire.
        In the late-19th century, persecution of Jews in Europe followed by the creation of the Zionist movement led to international support for the establishment in Palestine of a homeland for the Jewish people on the site of the ancient kingdoms. Following the British conquest of Syria, the Balfour Declaration in World War I and the formation of the Mandate of Palestine, Aliyah (Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel) increased and gave rise to Arab–Jewish tensions and a collision of the Arab and Jewish nationalist movements."

        • shawn disney 10+

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          Feb 11 2013: Theodore: Were you actually referring to me, about being unaware of "Palestine" history? I do not dispute any of your statements about the history of the area. But the "Balfour Declaration"?! That was nothing more than a weasel worded SpIn version of a British bid for Jewish support , at a most desperate time in WW1 , when it seemed like Britain might lose . Cleverly worded , to be sure, but a diplomatic memo and nothing more. It had no authority to dispose of some foreigners' lands. I'm pretty sure it was not publicized, as the Arab guerrilla fighters at the time were actively helping the British win the war; I do not think that they would be happy to hear that the British were planning to sell them out.

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