Op-Ed.
Let peace reign in Palestine

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas-controlled Gaza of Palestine is not only needless and unnecessary, but a self-inflicted disaster for both parties. It is a war that should not have been, but for the level of political animosity and hatred involved.
Already, over 4000 people have died on both sides, and still counting, as the war progresses, especially as the ground invasion being planned by Israel, is yet to begin. In every war, people die, and the present war cannot be different. So the challenge here is not whether people are dying, but why are they dying and should it have been avoided.
War is a sentence to death, apart from the soldiers, who signed for it, there are also innocent people, especially, women and children. So there could be no good reason to declare war, but when it becomes inevitable as all human actions tend to be often, we must accept the sad consequences of death and destruction as we have now in Gaza. Society is built on peace, and so war is a breakdown of peace, which is a state of natural and divine perfection.
Resort to war should not be a good way to settle differences in society, because every problem must be settled ultimately by peaceful negotiations, even after a war. As such, this crisis, as long as it has lasted, and as bloody and destructive as it has been, it is only through peace that viable and lasting peace, based on justice and freedom, can be possibly achieved.
This newspaper, as a believer in liberal principles of equality, freedom and justice, is convinced that only the peace that is informed by these hallowed tenets of democracy and modern civilisation, can be useful and enduring for any solution to the Palestinian question. It can no longer be a question of right of ownership, which is now tendentious, but of equity, fairness and good conscience. As territorial neighbours, none can harbour ill-will and hatred of the other without dire consequences either now or in the future for mutual existence.
The carnage in both lives and property going on in Gaza today could have be avoided if we had followed the principles outlined above. This war is the result of extreme self interest and idealistic politics that are inconsistent with present realities, and conventional wisdom. It is not a path to take without mutual danger to all concerned. Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel has sworn vengeance and retribution. Both are negative sentiments that can only produce a cycle of violence and destruction.
Historically, this problem goes back to 1948, when the state of Israel was founded, after the Holocaust against the Jews in which they lost six million people. Although its founding was a matter of global sympathy and political expediency; however, this problem has continued to linger throughout its existence, putting their progress in jeopardy. After the 1967 and 1973 wars, followed by the Camp David Accord, which normalized relations with its arch enemies, Egypt and Jordan, hope of a likely immediate peaceful settlement soon stalled, as Israeli new settlement increased, followed by increased Palestinian attacks, which eventually led to the Intifada (public protests) that lasted over a year in the late 1988s, and early 1990s, culminating in the Oslo, Sweden, treaty, which outlined a two- state solution that the world has come to accept, as the only viable option.
Sadly, Hamas, backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, a sworn enemy of Israel, which insist on the total annihilation of Israel, as the only acceptable solution to the problem, wants all the territory of Palestine or nothing. This dogmatic and irrational position can never produce peace, even if one party actually succeeds. It makes an already complex situation more complicated. As labour leaders used to say, you don’t negotiate with a gun pointed on the other party’s head.That is an imposition. With Israel trying to reach a rapprochement with other Arab countries, which would have climaxed later this month in a treaty with Saudi Arabia, a prospect perceived to be the immediate cause of the unprovoked attack by Hamas, a golden opportunity for peace may have slipped again.
The way forward to achieve peace is to give peace a chance
The two-state solution, which Israel is already disposed to, remains the only viable option for peace. The world must, therefore, rise up and condemn Hamas, and by extension, Iran, and isolate them for stoking the embers of violence by rejecting the Oslo accord. Israel cannot be wished away or bombed out of existence. Perish the thought! Israel is the most powerful military machine in the region; and, as if that is not enough, it is backed by the biggest military power in the world, America.
We, therefore, call on all sides to retrace their steps and sue for peace for the safety life and stability of the region, by accepting and adopting the two-state solution.