The Path to Peace in the Middle East

by Michael R. Burch

The ongoing conflict between Israeli Jews and Palestinians seems to be irresolvable; therefore the current "wisdom" has become that "those people" are full of "hatred" for each other and have been "fighting for thousands of years," so there is "no hope for peace." But before we wring our hands or throw them up helplessly in the air we need to consider two very important things:

(1) People who don't like each other can live together in peace, if everyone is governed by fair laws and courts. During the Holocaust, Nazis enslaved, brutalized and murdered millions of Jews in the most despicable fashion imaginable. However, once Germany lost the war and came under a system of much fairer laws and courts, Jews were able to live there safely, even though there was no sudden outpouring of affection between Germans and Jews. The same is true for the descendents of black American slaves and white slaveowners. After the United States finally abolished Jim Crow laws and kangaroo courts, millions of white Americans soon came to the conclusion that the main problem had been racism and injustice on the part of whites, not "inferiority" or "intransigence" on the part of blacks. If Israel were to establish fair, nonracist laws and courts, something very similar could happen within a relatively short period of time.

(2) Jews and Palestinians have not been "constantly at war" with each other. The New Testament records what life was like in Israel/Palestine during the first century AD, when Roman laws and courts (the famous Pax Romana) governed everyone in the region. The Bible doesn't mention any major hostilities between the Jews and Palestinians back then. Furthermore, during the Jewish Diaspora (which lasted almost 2,000 years) there were always Jews who continued to live in Palestine. For the most part, they lived in peace with their neighbors. As the great Jewish scientist and humanitarian Albert Einstein pointed out, Arabs had historically treated the Jews much more tolerantly than European Christians had. It was only when Jews began to arrive in Palestine in ever-increasing numbers, in the early 1900s, that tensions began to mount, nerves began to fray and both sides (not just the Arabs) began to get violent. And let's be honest: if millions of Jews had emigrated to Texas en masse, informing Texans that eating bacon and driving to football games on Saturday would soon be illegal, all hell would have broken loose there too.

If we consider historical facts, it is justice that leads to racial peace, not love. And this makes sense, because fair laws and courts make it too expensive to practice racism, as lawbreakers face fines, civil damages and prison terms. Once fair courts have been established, the people willing to obey just laws can live together in peace, while everyone else ends up in jail, or broke. Wherever fair laws and courts do not exist, the result is invariably racial violence on both sides, with the greater violence being on the part of the people in power (because the law and courts are skewed to favor and protect them). This is clearly the case in Israel/Palestine today. As Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu and more than 200 Jewish humanitarian organizations have repeatedly pointed out, Palestinians have been subjected to a system of large-scale, systematic, grinding racism, injustice and apartheid. But there is hope, if only we can persuade Israel to do what Americans, Germans and South Africans did: establish justice. If we want peace with the least amount of violence possible, the first step is to establish fair laws and courts.

But how?, you may asking. Sure, it makes sense to say that fair laws and courts are necessary for peace, but what can anyone do, to encourage the leaders of Israel to do what Americans, Germans and South Africans did? I'm glad you asked! I think the answer is surprisingly simple. In fact, it can be stated in a single sentence:

We need a new U.N. resolution requiring Israel to unconditionally establish equal rights, fair laws and fair courts for every human being under its jurisdiction, whether civil or military, without exception; the courts should be subject to peer review by judges appointed by the U.N., and they should be able to set legal precedents.

Any member nation of the U.N. can submit a new resolution, so we don't have to depend on Israeli or American politicians to "do the right thing." This is the beauty of this initiative. Unfortunately to date many Israeli and American politicians have only paid lip service to their stated ideals of equal rights, freedom, justice and self-determination for all human beings. Why? Because politicians are by nature political creatures whose greatest talent "lies" in getting elected (pun intended). They are much better at saying the right things, than at doing the right things. Doing the right things in this case would cost them votes and campaign contributions, so they do what is politically expedient, rather than what is right. But my idea takes this unfortunate political reality into account and operates through the U.N., bypassing American and Israeli politicians in the early going.

The U.S. Security Council veto has blocked past efforts by the U.N. to bring peace and justice to the region. But how can the U.S. veto the American Creed of equal rights, fair laws and fair courts? So the key is a new U.N. resolution based on the American Creed.

If Israel complies, then peace through justice becomes possible, and fair courts can settle disputes over land and water "organically" over time, even if politicians can't arrive at solutions diplomatically.

If Israel does not comply, the U.N. can impose economic sanctions and in due course Israeli voters will "vote their pocketbooks" (a worldwide democratic phenomenon) and peacefully elect new leaders more amenable to peace through justice. But hopefully economic sanctions will not be necessary, once Israeli voters and politicians understand their new reality.

Yes, the problems are complex, but the correct path, the right path, the just path is obvious. And while American politicians may never voluntarily do the right thing, we really don’t need them, and they won’t have to risk their jobs. The reform of Israel must come from within, just as it did in the U.S. With my plan, one way or another the needed reforms will come. Hopefully Israel will see the "writing on the wall" and voluntarily choose to establish equal rights, fair laws and fair courts. But even if Israel has be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century, just as many Americans had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th century, the results will be the same. One way or another, every nation—in order to be considered civilized—has to establish equal human rights and justice. Israel is not a "special case." The Jews are not a "special case." The Palestinians are not a "special case." And no, Americans, are not a "special case." Americans need to practice what they preach abroad, as well as at home. When we do, peace through justice will become possible, and when every nation has established fair laws and fair courts, world peace will become possible.

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