As the old adage goes: ‘One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.’
Nowhere is this truer than within the stifling, often toxic context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this part of the world, one person’s Independence Day is another person’s Naqba; one person’s occupation is another person’s homecoming; and one person’s response is another person’s precursor. Action and reaction, myth and reality – all have become blurred, as uncompromisingly subjective and mutually exclusive historical narratives stalk the land.
This, sadly, is often the reality one must work within when trying to make progress toward mutual compromise. Israelis and Palestinians largely define the last 62 years of their history in opposition to one another. Blame is passed around judiciously, and each sees the other as the ultimate reason that peace has been so elusive and progress so temporary.
When faced with a depressing reality such as this, a committed interlocutor really has to walk down one of two paths. Should you try and transform the reality to one more amenable to peace, common understanding and mature, collective responsibility? It is indeed a tempting thought. Israelis and Palestinians poring over each others’ perceived injustices, apologising where necessary and strengthening their ties through cooperation, collaboration, and joint reconciliation. The second choice however, is to accept the context as you find it. Israelis and Palestinians have reason enough to dislike, mistrust, and even hate one another. Instead of putting the very limited time, resources and energy now available into trying to make water flow uphill, why not devote all of your efforts toward achieving a deal that respects rather than seeks to transform each narrative?
The security threat Israel lives under is due – primarily, but not exclusively – to the fact that they occupy the West Bank and Gaza, and stand in the way of a Palestinian state. Palestinians – primarily, but not exclusively – have employed violent methods as a means to achieve said state, and end said occupation. This calculus is simple, and blessedly free from moral judgment or finger pointing: occupation and violence are two sides of the same coin. Ending one will bring about the demise of the other. This is one of the central beliefs of OneVoice, an international grassroots movement with over 650,000 signatories in roughly equal numbers both in Israel and in Palestine, and over 2,000 highly-trained youth leaders. It aims to amplify the voice of Israeli and Palestinian moderates, empowering them to seize back the agenda for conflict resolution and demand that their leaders achieve a two-state solution guaranteeing the end of occupation, establishing a viable independent Palestinian state, and ensuring the safety and security of the state of Israel – allowing both people to live in peace with all their neighbours.
By working in parallel, OneVoice can appeal to the nationalistic enlightened self-interest of Israelis, through the work of OneVoice Israel in Tel Aviv; and Palestinians, through the work of OneVoice Palestine in Ramallah. With chapters located across the length and breadth of both territories, OneVoice is building a coalition of supporters: secular to religious, left to right wing. For Israelis, it’s about building an understanding that the occupation hurts rather than enhances Israeli security, and poses a threat to Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state. For Palestinians, it’s about building an understanding that violence and extremism hurts Palestinian national ambitions, providing a convenient excuse to those who wish to perpetually delay the establishment of a Palestinian state. Building this realisation does not require Israeli and Palestinian agreement on the past, rather it highlights the shared and mutually reinforcing benefits of common understanding of both peoples’ futures: a sovereign and viable Palestinian state, living side by side with a secure Israel – both states at peace with all their neighbours.
Uniquely in the region in which they inhabit, both Israel and Palestine are democratic societies. There exists a mechanism within such societies to transform even the most corrosive reality, should enough public pressure is brought to bear. That is why OneVoice works tirelessly to highlight hidden consensus both within and between each society, mobilising ordinary people toward becoming genuine agents of change. Through Town Hall Meetings, public rallies, youth leadership training and ‘get out the vote’ campaigns, we aim to give the voices of moderation and pragmatism the volume and impact that their numerical weight deserves: 78% of Israelis and 74% of Palestinians are willing to get behind a two state solution. Whilst these people may never agree about what happened in 1948, 1967 or even in 2001 – they are in agreement about what must happen in 2010: a serious, committed, and successful push toward a two state solution and an end to violence, occupation and insecurity. With over 300,000 Israelis and 300,000 Palestinians signed up to this common understanding of what must come, perhaps the most important and transformative chapter in this entangled shared history is yet to be written.