Gaza – Has Time For Diplomacy Ended…

One of the most basic principles in Jewish law is that human life comes first. The start of the Torah foreshadows that saving human life will be more important: “And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him.” (Genesis 1:27) or “pikuach nefesh”.

The Torah advocates diplomacy and humanity through justice, universal principles of cooperation and promoting accountability for leaders. It calls for all people to be treated with equal regard and fairness (“love your neighbour as yourself” – Leviticus 19:18)). It provides for successful diplomacy and the dangers of failed communication for creating a just and harmonious society. In Exodus, the Ten Commandments provide us with a moral code to ensure that all can live freely and safely without inflicting harm or injustice on others. 

In the Torah, Israelis are referred with the term holy people and holy nation which led to the term, “the chosen people”. In the Book of Leviticus, God asserts that if people of Israel do not observe all the statutes and ordinances commanded in the Torah, the land will vomit them out in the same way as it vomited out the other nations.

Today, Jews under Zionists are still claiming the land of Palestine. Under international law it is invalid to use past history especially going back to 50006000 years. Strangely, the founder of Zionism was a secular Jew, did not speak Hebrew or Yiddish and non-religious.  

Overlapping claims among three Abrahamic religions produced conflicts – initially based on religion and later evolved into a political agenda. 

The first major peace talks occurred during the Camp David Accords in 1978 followed by other accords, roadmaps and initiatives but Palestine experience more destruction. The United Nation has passed hundreds of resolutions on the question of Palestine through the General Assembly and Security Council to address but today it ended up in genocide.

On September 12, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution aimed at reviving a two-state solution with a 142–10 vote.

Israel’s practice of non–compliance towards UN, international laws even international condemnation, criticism and threats is legendary.

The Gaza ceasefire proposal by Trump contains almost nothing else positive for the Palestinians and they were not consulted. The party that carries out the genocide and its funder get to decide the future of the people against whom they’re committing the genocide. The “Board of Peace” will be chaired by the funder and warned if the offer is rejected, Israel would have free rein, with full US support, to take any action it sees fit in Gaza. 

Illegal Israeli settlements mushroomed in the West Bank and home destructions accelerated since October 7 and Netanyahu has repeatedly sworn to scupper any efforts at establishing a Palestinian state.

How do we negotiate with a state that do not accept a two-state solution, as this is incompatible with peaceful coexistence? Then, authoritarian leaders use diplomacy as a delaying tactic while advancing military objectives.

So, where is the diplomacy in resolving a long-drawn conflict?

There needs to be mutual respect, recognition and intellectual humility which is lacking. Diplomacy requires at least a minimal willingness from all parties to engage in good faith. Coercion and threats have far-reaching and irreversible consequences. 

Wisdom is not the exclusive domain of any one state, culture, or ideology.  

The aggression including its funding and moral support leave no room to rebuild the diplomatic machine. How to negotiate with somebody who belief they have been created in the Divine Image but not acting as such and violating Qatar’s sovereignty while negotiations are in progress on a ceasefire proposal? It has undermined trust in diplomatic sanctity. 

Further, unsurprisingly, the Gaza ceasefire proposal came from someone who has made it clear he wants the Nobel Peace Prize while academic freedom is under threat in the US.

True diplomacy is not a temporary tactic but a continuous process. Diplomacy succeeded in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 ended decades of conflict in Northern Ireland through persistent diplomatic efforts. Diplomatic tools are not only formal negotiations but also economic incentives, cultural exchanges, multilateral pressure and quiet diplomacy.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) promotes sustainability through various initiatives and the US promotes sustainability through international cooperation and infrastructure investments. Don’t we want sustainable peace? 

When major powers bypass or undermine international bodies, it weakens the global diplomatic architecture and veto powers don’t equate to diplomacy but promoting political interests.

Who benefits from chaos or war or situations involving imminent threats to national survival? We talk about the age of uncertainty but who created those uncertainties? Or have we reached the ‘end of history’.

We must look to a better future in co-existence. We must channel our hope, integrity, morality and diplomacy to guide us through even the most challenging times.

“Never again”, a phrase associated with the Holocaust, serving as a vow to prevent future genocides and acts of fascism, should apply to all and not just Jews.

“Justice, justice shall you pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). At its core, the Torah posits that individuals and communities bear responsibility not only for their actions but also for their inaction.

It seems Zionism is driving a wedge between nationalism and faith and a threat to the integrity of the Torah and will the land vomit them out?

What say you…

 

Saleh Mohammed