One of the reasons why we in Israel and in Palestine have had such bad leaders for such a long time who do nothing to advance peace is because the majority of Israelis and Palestinians have believed that there are no serious partners for peace on the other side.
The statements and policies of our leaders, on both sides, certainly provide proof to this ‘urban legend’ that the majority of Israelis and Palestinians are not really interested in living in peace based on the right of both sides for self-determination. We Israelis and Palestinians who have been active for decades in peace work have done very little to counter the belief of no partners. We have maybe even strengthened this belief by agreeing to adhere to what is known as “Chatham House Rules” when we meet. This means that we meet behind closed doors, in secret, with no publicity and no ability to expose who is meeting and what is being said. There was a time when these rules were important and secret meetings between Israelis and Palestinians had a crucial role to play in developing ideas and proposals on how to resolve the conflict.
Now those kinds of meetings are mostly counterproductive and strengthen the non-partner belief among our people. It is time to change this – we need Israelis and Palestinians who support peace to be courageous and come out in public – be exposed, go against those who say that there are no partners for peace on the other side. Now is the time to demonstrate partnership and to go public. I know there are challenges – there is the Palestinian anti-normalization campaign, there are the right-wing racist Israelis, both of our societies have too many haters who believe in using violence and threats. But we must stand up courageously against them.
It is time for us, who believe in peace and believe in Israeli-Palestinian partnership for peace to become very public about it. No more hiding behind closed doors – let the world see us, let our people see us. Partnership in the open, exposed and public – that is what is needed right now!
