We live in a time which is less optimistic than just three or four decades ago. That time, there were disarmament plans and agreements for the reduction of the nuclear stockpiles; there were hopes for more peaceful East-West cooperation, even better relations between Israel and Palestine, expansion of democracies and people’s participation, and perhaps even possibilities of curtailing the multinationals on the way to a new economic order, and more. In education, the world has done okay, as well as for better health and longer life expectations. Alas, we are still not good stewards of God’s creation, we don’t distribute the fruits well, and we don’t ascertain renewal of the resources to make the world more prosperous for all. In today’s article, I shall discuss some of these issues in our cloudy and misty time, yet, we must also believe in a new dawn, with new possibilities and challenges.
The terrible war between Israel and Palestine, mainly in Gaza was triggered by Hamas when it carried out a terrorist attack on a music concert and civilians in nearby areas on 7 October 2023, a long year ago. Over 1,200 were killed and many injured, and over 150 were taken hostage and brought to underground corridors in the Gaza Strip. Only a few have been freed, a number have been killed, and nobody knows the whereabouts and mental and physical health of those who are still kept by Hamas if they will ever be freed. Some talks have been held between the Israelis and the Palestinians about terms for release of hostages, many times in exchange for Palestinians who are being kept by in Israeli prisons without trial. There have from time to time been widespread demonstrations in Israel criticising Benjamin Netanyahu (74), Israel’s PM, his government and the military, against the war and for not having done enough to free the hostages.
Israel continues a terrible overkill revenge on Hamas, the innocent people of Gaza, and also the people in the West Bank. The world has been shocked; more than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including many children, and over 700 in the West Bank. Close to 1,000 Israelis have been killed, and many people on both sides, especially Palestinians, have been injured. The living conditions in Gaza are below any kind of human dignity, and people live in constant terror, whether in areas of displacement or elsewhere, and recent UN reports say that two-thirds of all buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged.
Of a total population of well over three million in Gaza, two million are displaced, but again in unsafe areas. In Israel, many people feel more insecure than before, and many of those who can leave the country or consider doing so. There is widespread dissatisfaction with the situation in Israel. As for the situation in Gaza, it is difficult to see how things could ever go back to some kind of normalcy. In the West Bank, there is a serious worry about the direct war spreading and escalating. Any realization of a two-state solution seems to be far away, and when spoken about it is very superficial, also because of the several hundred illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and certainly because of the horrendous situation in Gaza.
The leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas (88), has been President since 2005. Before him, the leader was the legendary Yasser Arafat (1929-2004), who chaired the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969-2004. There have not been ordinary general Palestinian elections since 2006. Fatha has ruled the West Bank and the opposing party Hamas has ruled Gaza, well, with Israel controlling most. If issues had been followed up seriously after the Oslo Agreements 30 years ago, there might have been a chance for a two-state solution. Today, it seems a one-state solution, a federal Palestinian-Israeli state, is the only solution, but that would need international oversight and control, indeed as for police, military, security, and democracy development. There should not be specifications of ethnicity, faith, or other background variables, which was always a wrong concept from the creation of Israel in 1948; it has become clearer in our time.
The recent dramatic developments in the region have to do with Hezbollah, Hamas’ sister organization in Lebanon, with close contact with Iran. Hezbollah in Lebanon is under military attack by Israel, including a ground invasion from 1 October, which is a tragedy and a serious risk for a wider regional war. The Shia leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah (64), was killed a few days ago. He was highly respected and led the rule of about a third of Lebanon. Yet, Hezbollah also hinders Lebanon from having one government for the whole country. Israel’s current attack on Hezbollah and Lebanon is very serious to all the countries and people in the region, also because of the feared escalation of international involvement by the regional and world powers. Observers say that USA and the outgoing President Biden’s administration have little influence over PM Netanyahu and Israel; it keeps allowing Israel’s military operations, and not having insisted on at least a temporary cease fire. Iran seemed to avoid becoming directly involved, but that may have changed in the last few days.
Although the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel one year ago cannot be defended, the attack came as a reaction to Israel’s decades-long unacceptable overall treatment of the Palestinians, indeed in Gaza, and also in the West Bank. However, Israel’s revenge for the attack is a tragedy and it casts very dark cark clouds over the future.
Jan Egeland (65), a Norwegian researcher and politician and a former UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (2003-2006), now head of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), has recently requested the international community to take more direct action to control the situation in the Middle East. This is also what I am advocating, but not only temporarily, but for a long time, probably several decades or more. Yes, it may be unrealistic, but what other durable solutions for peace exist?
The new NATO Chief, Mark Rutte (57) said when he took charge this week on 1 October that the Middle-East is outside NATO’s area. That is true. Yet, the Middle-East concerns us all, and there cannot be peace and peaceful thinking in the world until the Israelis and Palestinians, too, can live in peace – as we all must – in the east and west, north and south, and in cooperation with each other.
Atle Hetland
The writer is a senior Norwegian social scientist with experience from university, diplomacy and development aid. He can be reached at atlehetland@yahoo.com
