A new approach to Middle East peace

There is one essential word that has been lacking from recent dialogue at Tufts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This single word is the greatest question on the minds of Israelis and Palestinians: peace. What everyone -- students, activists and governments -- must ask is how do we achieve peace?

Recent events at Tufts, including the petition launched to cancel Lt. Col. Dr. Shamir-Borer’s lecture at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) undermine our ability to discuss peacemaking on the Tufts campus.

It is only possible to build peace when the two parties in question will listen to each other. Circulating a petition to prevent an expert on both international law (Lt. Col. Dr. Shamir-Borer holds a master's degree in International Legal Studies and a Doctorate of Law from New York University) and Israeli military practices the right to speak at Tufts stifles discussion on the peace process. If students at Tufts University refuse to allow the presence of an Israeli official on campus, how can we expect Palestinians and Israelis to sit down at the same table to negotiate a resolution to the conflict?

A mutually negotiated two-state solution is widely accepted as the only viable resolution. A peaceful existence between Israelis and Palestinians demands both a secure Jewish State of Israel and an independent State of Palestine. Politics and morality dictate the need for negotiations to ensure mutual recognition, security and freedom. “Pro-Israel” and “pro-Palestine” are not mutually exclusive. To be pro-peace, it is crucial to support both Israelis and Palestinians in their goal to live as neighbors in a tumultuous region.

This summer’s conflict in Israel and Gaza highlighted the necessity for a permanent, peaceful two-state solution. A child should never be forced to live in a bomb shelter, and a mother should never fear being killed in her home surrounded by her children. What occurred this summer was and remains a tragedy for everyone. Between July and August, Hamas fired over 4,500 rockets toward Israel from Gaza. Of those, 875 fell inside Gaza, often killing Palestinian civilians. Israel responded to Hamas’ rocket fire with aerial attacks, which killed both Hamas fighters and Palestinian civilians. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “did some extraordinary things to try to limit civilian casualties.” By making phone calls in Arabic, dropping warning leaflets and roof-knocking (creating a warning blast on the roof of a targeted building) the IDF risked losing its targeted terrorists in attempts to protect Palestinian civilians.

By placing rockets inside schools and hospitals and by continually violating cease-fires, Hamas put Palestinians directly in the line of fire and prevented negotiations for peace. By building terror tunnels into Israel, Hamas diverted crucial resources from Gazan civilian projects and instigated an unnecessary conflict. In its official charter, Hamas calls for the destruction of Israel, and explains, “[Peace] initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement.” Hamas, by its nature, does not promote a two-state solution. In order for the violence to end, Israelis and Palestinians must find a way to negotiate a solution, one that recognizes the legitimacy and security of both peoples. Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, does not have a role in a peaceful future.

Petitioning for the cancellation of Lt. Col. Dr. Shamir-Borer’s lecture and calling for BDS only harm prospects for peace through a two-state solution. Leaders of the BDS movement have routinely failed to recognize the right of the State of Israel to exist and have failed to support the two-state solution. By boycotting Israeli businesses and academic institutions, the BDS movement condemns interaction between Israeli and Palestinian civilians and their political leaders. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has urged the international community not to boycott Israel, because a boycott contradicts the PA’s recognition of Israel. The BDS movement places one-sided blame, and does not encourage Israelis and Palestinians to come to the negotiating table.

Dialogue at Tufts and beyond should focus on genuine conversations and meaningful debates. We should focus on negotiations toward a two-state solution, which will inevitably involve compromise by both parties. Rather than silencing the discussion of peace at Tufts, we must champion it.