Regardless of whether it is practical, wise, or foolhardy at this moment in time, offering suggestions for peace between Israel and the Palestinians must be done.
We should each day audibly reiterate the hope and prosperity that could occur if the Palestinians opt for peace. One might argue that the prosperity that would come with peace is self-evident, but a people who live in despair and poverty and feel their plight is not only the result of Israel’s policies but actually the desire of Israel need to be reminded and reassured that peace would bring prosperity.
Opting for peace would necessarily mean that Hamas surrenders and is replaced by a Palestinian government that agrees to coexist with Israel.
Of course, such a breakthrough is easier to conceive of than to implement. But such a dream needs elucidation and repetition if Palestinians are to reject Hamas and terrorism. Terrorism is a tactic, not an entity, which can be militarily countered but never really eliminated. It is understandable that any country must and will defend itself against the terrorists’ senseless violence.
But ultimately, the defeat of terrorism requires the aggrieved party to voluntarily lay down its weapons and choose another way. The terrorists themselves are beyond reason and redemption, but the mass of the Palestinian population not yet radicalized might be reached.
When I visited Israel in 2013, I suggested to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that incremental improvements in the lives of Palestinians might lessen their rage and propensity to commit violence.
