The Jerusalem Declaration

By Sam Bahour and Michael Dahan

The Middle East is a region locked in history. The core hinge holding closed the doors to a modern and prosperous Middle East is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This conflict may possibly be the most written about and studied in world history. Sadly, all of the writings and studies have done very little, if anything, to relieve the two peoples, Palestinians and Israelis, of a reality of despair and hopelessness. For Palestinians, the receivers of the long-standing Israeli military occupation, life is regularly equated to a living hell by anyone who dares to dig deeper than the daily newspaper headlines. Without a just political agreement soon, not only will the possibility of a two-state solution be lost forever, but also the conflict will move to a level of violence and despair that only those living the reality can feel and fear.

In light of the deteriorating political, security and human tragedy that have locked Palestinians and Israelis in a dance of death, it seems that the conflict will also log the most peace accords conceived in an attempt to solve the issue. From the Balfour Declaration in 1917 to the Geneva Accord in 2003, to date, all of them have failed miserably, leaving 83 years of suffering in their path. Likewise, nothing in the horizon seems to hold the key to a lasting peace, despite unusually loud rhetoric surrounding the latest two peace initiatives, the Geneva Accord and the Nusseibeh-Ayalon Statement.

We have little faith that either of these two documents will materialize to more than a positioning exercise between two weak leaderships, the Palestinian leadership and the Israeli leadership; and we are not convinced that the substance of either one can succeed in providing a framework for lasting peace. Nonetheless, we support and applaud both of these efforts.

Leaving aside the merits or drawbacks of the peace initiatives currently being floated, we would like to reinforce their foundation with a statement that is more strategic in its approach. Peace requires principles. Principles need to be clear and concise (consider the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which arguably ushered in the modern phase of the conflict - in only 67 words). If the two sides cannot agree to a clear, concise statement of basic and core principles, any exercise in drafting a solution on paper will miss the critical lesson of the failed Oslo Peace Accords