A new roadmap is urgently needed to resolve the Palestinian\u002DIsraeli conflict
Yet in this city, peace means the absence of conflict. It has seen its share of terrorist attacks, shootings and car rammings. Violence like the one that inspired Gaza’s war on Israel this summer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque is only a heartbeat away. Conflict is simmering beneath the surface of this magical place. In a quest for solutions, over the past few months, I have met with a number of Israelis and non-governmental leaders, including heads of the United Nations and its affiliate organizations.
Time has venerated those who have taken chances to advance peace and normalization in this region. At great personal risk, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat gave up on warring with Israel and extended a hand in peace to Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin. Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin broke with tradition and signed on to the Oslo Accords with Yasser Arafat in an attempt to bring peace and transform the Middle East.
There is a new reality on the ground. Accountability, truth and reconciliation are imperative if peace is going to be advanced in this region. The current anti-normalization campaign initiated by the Palestinian Authority as a boycott against dialogue and peace-building measures must end if peace is to be attained. According to one Palestinian leader who spoke with me off the record, there is a stalemate in ordinary human relations between Israelis and Palestinians who live in the West Bank.