Foreign Policy: Israelis and
Palestinians are still burying their loved ones as Gaza's third war in six
years continues. Since July 8, when this war began, more than 1,600 Palestinian
and 65 Israeli lives have been sacrificed. Many in the world are heartbroken in
the powerless certainty that more will die, that more are being killed every
hour.
This tragedy
results from the deliberate obstruction of a promising move toward peace in the
region, when a reconciliation agreement among the Palestinian factions was
announced in April. This was a major concession by Hamas, in opening Gaza to
joint control under a technocratic government that did not include any Hamas
members. The new government also pledged to adopt the three basic principles
demanded by the Middle East Quartet comprised of the United Nations, the United
States, the European Union, and Russia: nonviolence, recognition of Israel, and
adherence to past agreements. Tragically, Israel rejected this opportunity for
peace and has succeeded in preventing the new government's deployment in Gaza.
Two
factors are necessary to make Palestinian unity possible. First, there must be at
least a partial lifting of the 7-year-old sanctions and blockade that isolate
the 1.8 million people in Gaza. There must also be an opportunity for the
teachers, police, and welfare and health workers on the Hamas payroll to be
paid. These necessary requirements for a human standard of living continue to
be denied. Instead, Israel blocked Qatar's offer to provide funds to pay civil
servants' salaries, and access to and from Gaza has been further tightened by
Egypt and Israel.
There is no
humane or legal justification for the way the Israeli Defense Forces are conducting
this war. Israeli bombs, missiles, and artillery have pulverized large parts of
Gaza, including thousands of homes, schools, and hospitals. More than 250,000 people
have been displaced from their homes in Gaza. Hundreds of Palestinian noncombatants
have been killed. Much of Gaza has lost access to water and electricity
completely. This is a humanitarian catastrophe.
There is never
an excuse for deliberate attacks on civilians in conflict. These are war
crimes. This is true for both sides. Hamas's indiscriminate targeting of
Israeli civilians is equally unacceptable. However, three Israeli civilians have
been killed by Palestinian rockets, while an overwhelming majority of the 1,600
Palestinians killed have been civilians, including more than 330 children. The
need for international judicial proceedings to investigate and end these
violations of international law should be taken very seriously.
The U.N.
Security Council should focus on what can be done to limit the potential use of
force by both sides. It should vote for a resolution recognizing the inhumane
conditions in Gaza and mandate an end to the siege. That resolution could also
acknowledge the need for international monitors who can report on movements into
and out of Gaza as well as cease-fire violations. It should then enshrine
strict measures to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza. Early
discussions have already taken place. The Elders, an international group of
elder statesmen of which we are a part, hope these discussions will continue
and reach fruition.
At
the Palestinians' request, the Swiss government is considering convening an
international conference of the signatory states of the Geneva Conventions,
which enshrine the humanitarian laws of warfare. This could pressure Israel and
Hamas into observing their duties under international law to protect civilian
populations. We sincerely hope all states -- especially those in the West, with
the greatest power -- attend and live up to their obligations to uphold the
Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the treatment of populations in
occupied territory.
Unity between
Fatah and Hamas is currently stronger than it has been for many years. As
Elders, we believe this is one of the most encouraging developments in recent
years and welcome it warmly. This presents an opportunity for the Palestinian
Authority to reassume control over Gaza -- an essential first step towards
Israel and Egypt lifting the blockade.
The Palestinian
Authority cannot manage the task of administering Gaza on its own. It will need
the prompt return of the EU Border Assistance Mission, an international effort
to help monitor border crossings that was launched in 2005 and suspended in
2007. EU High Representative Catherine Ashton has already offered to reinstate
the program, covering not only Rafah but all of Gaza's crossings. Egypt and
Israel would, in turn, Egypt and
Israel would, in turn, cooperate with international monitors to be deployed in
Gaza and along its borders, backed by a U.N. Security Council mandate to
protect civilian populations. A valuable precedent for trust-building between
Egypt and Israel is the international peacekeeping force operating in the
Sinai, mandated by the peace treaty signed by the two countries in 1979.
The international
community's initial goal should be the full restoration of the free movement of
people and goods to and from Gaza through Israel, Egypt, and the sea.
Concurrently, the United States and EU should recognize that Hamas is not just
a military but also a political force. Hamas cannot be wished away, nor will it
cooperate in its own demise. Only by recognizing its legitimacy as a political
actor -- one that represents a substantial portion of the Palestinian people --
can the West begin to provide the right incentives for Hamas to lay down its
weapons. Ever since the internationally monitored 2006 elections that brought
Hamas to power in Palestine, the West's approach has manifestly contributed to
the opposite result.
Ultimately,
however, lasting peace depends on the creation of a Palestinian state next to
Israel.
Leaders in
Israel, Palestine, and the world's major powers should believe that policy
changes are within reach that would move Israelis and Palestinians closer to a
day when the skies over the Holy Land can forever fall silent. Link