By Sierra Goodman, Hasbara Fellowships High School Intern
Peace in the Middle East is a highly discussed topic by not only Jews and Arabs, but by the entire world. It is something many people dream of and hope to see in their lifetime. In order to accomplish peace, both sides must value the idea of peace and prove that it is something they desire. Israel is a country that strongly values putting forth an effort to make peace with its surrounding countries. On countless occasions throughout history, Israel has demonstrated its willingness to make painful concessions with its neighbors to achieve peace.
For example, shortly after the Six Day War, after Egypt’s then-leader Gamel Abdel Nasser died, Egypt’s new leader, Anwar Sadat, attacked Israel on Yom Kippur of 1973. Golda Meir, Israel’s Prime Minister at the time, refused to mobilize the reserves when there was speculation of an attack and therefore Israel was unprepared for this attack. This was one of the reasons why Golda Meir resigned as Prime Minister and Yitzchak Rabin was elected in her place in 1974. A few years later, Likud, the opposition party at the time, won the 1977 election, and Menachem Begin was elected as Prime Minister. Begin was a wartime leader of the Irgun, so many people did not believe that he would be willing to make concessions for peace. When Sadat announced that he was willing to come to Israel to negotiate for peace, Begin shocked many people by agreeing to meet with Sadat. This peace plan between Israel and Egypt, also known as the Camp David Accords, required Israel to give back the entire Sinai, which it had gained in the Six Day War. This was a huge concession for Israel as they lost many soldiers fighting for that land and there were several Jewish settlements in the Sinai. Making peace with Egypt was extremely important to Israel, and they were willing to make these sacrifices. Israel accepted this plan, and the Camp David Accords were signed in March 1979. Israel and Egypt have maintained this peace deal for over 40 years.
In 1993, a 5-year plan was signed between Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat. This agenda, called the Oslo Accords, proposed a gradual shift to Palestinian autonomy in Gaza and parts of the West Bank. Israel was required to withdraw from Gaza as well as all of the non primarily Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Arafat signed this plan in agreement that he would accept responsibility for all Palestinian violence. The Oslo Accords were built on an escalating scale, meaning that as time went on, the plan would further progress and Israel would withdraw further. After the five-year period ended, there was a plan to continue discussions and negotiations. This plan ultimately failed as the PLO did not fulfill their obligations to prevent attacks on Israeli civilians and started the second Intifada. While they didn’t succeed in furthering the negotiations, the Accords are still being followed today in that Israel has not taken back any control from the Palestinians despite them not upholding their end of the deal. This plan displays Israel’s values, that it prioritizes peace over land.
Furthermore, In May 1999, Ehud Barak was elected as Prime Minister of Israel. A year later, in 2000, Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat met with American President Bill Clinton at Camp David. Barak was determined to leave the meeting with a peace deal with the PA. He offered Arafat an extremely generous plan in which Israel would give up most of the West Bank, the entire Gaza strip as well as several parts of Jerusalem. Barak’s willingness to sacrifice huge amounts of land was not good enough, as Arafat did not sign on to his offering and Bill Clinton announced that Arafat was unwilling to negotiate, and would only accept all or nothing.
It is important to understand that peace can only be achieved if both sides are willing to negotiate and make sacrifices. In the past, both sides have acted in ways that have made it difficult to achieve peace. The Arab League has three fundamental policies that have made it difficult to make peace; no recognition, no negotiations, and no peace. These three guidelines have been one of the main causes of the failure to make peace deals in the past. Despite the slow shift away from these three “No’s” as more Arab countries have been normalizing relationships with Israel, peace can only be achieved if both sides recognize a desire for peace and are willing to negotiate with one another. As more Arab countries disregard the “three No’s” and recognize the need for peace, a huge step will be made in the right direction.
There has been a recent influx of Arab countries who are willing to negotiate for peace with Israel, which has led to several recent peace deals between Israel and Arab countries. In the past year, Israel has signed peace deals with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Morocco and Sudan. On August 13th, 2020, a statement was made between Israel, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates in which peace was made between Israel and the UAE. The document outlines the importance of peace which is based on mutual coexistence and religious freedom. The document emphasizes the need to end conflict and a promising future that will come with it. Weeks later, on September 11, 2020, an official agreement between Israel and Bahrain was announced based on the same ideas of peace and freedom. The recent steps forward in the past few months provide hope for further peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The last year has made it clear that a willingness and desire to achieve peace from both sides leads to groundbreaking peace deals and a brighter future.
