An open letter to Israelis: Where to from here?
Return to the hell of conflict or forward to peace and security?
By Ali Kazak
Jan 30, 2025
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Just when the world was hopeful that the war of genocide was coming to an end, the Israeli government launched a new round of violence, destruction and bloodshed against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Israelis often talk about their quest for security and peace with the Arabs while, at the same time, they colonise Palestine, oppress its people, ethnically cleanse them, confiscate their properties, treat them as second-class citizens, wage a war of genocide, and prevent those they ethnically cleansed from their right of return to their homeland. Are they really serious, and who are they kidding? Do they think the world is blind? Have 77 years of conflict with the Palestinian people and the events of 7 October taught them nothing?
Instead of waking up to reality and learning from the history of colonialism and apartheid, Israelis are sinking deeper and deeper into their extremism and aggression as if they are under a spell or a curse from which they cannot escape and are doomed to make themselves and their Palestinian neighbours live with insecurity and bloodshed.
Israelis believe their own lies, thinking they can deceive the world and portray themselves as if they are victims, giving themselves the right to do whatever they want.
When will Israelis realise, they cannot eliminate the 14 million strong Palestinian people or force them to surrender and abandon their struggle for freedom? The Palestinians are here to stay and will continue to reclaim their rights to their homeland, regardless of how long it takes and what sacrifices are required. Israel’s mighty army and nuclear arsenal, wars, brutality, hundreds of massacres, ethnic cleansing, the Nakba, and genocide failed to subjugate the Palestinians and will not prevent them from achieving their noble aims.
The enduring existence of Palestinians is a testament to their resilience in the face of countless invasions by major world powers throughout history. Where are the Greeks, the Romans, the Crusaders, and many other invaders now? They are merely dark chapters in Palestinian history.
Israelis are addicted to the policy of denial, half-truths and fact-switching, including the denial of the colonial nature of their project in Palestine, which was acknowledged by the father of Zionism and the first Zionist Congress’s “Basel Program” in 1897. Similarly, their apartheid system was consolidated by the Jewish Nation-State Law declaring that all of historic Palestine, from the river to the sea, belonged to all Jews around the world, and they alone had the right to self-determination; in addition to sixty-five other racist laws against Muslims and Christians, as documented by the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Adalah.
International Court of Justice, international organisations, B’Tselem and Yesh Din reports, and Israeli media acknowledged that the crime against humanity of apartheid is being committed against the Palestinian people.
Do Israelis realise they are living in the twenty-first century, that the era of colonialism and apartheid is over, that they cannot push the wheels of history backward, and ask themselves, what do we want? Do we want to live in peace and security? And will this be achieved through colonialism and apartheid?
Occupation, oppression, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and the building of illegal Jewish colonies are not the actions of one seeking to live in peace with their neighbours.
What would Jews say if a country treated them the way Israel treats the Palestinians?
The Palestinians have the right to fight for their freedom and independence. Israel, like all colonialists and occupiers, has no right to defend its occupation and apartheid regime.
No one should forget the first terrorist operation following the signing of the Oslo Accords when the peace process was supposed to begin; it was the massacre carried out by settlers in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and the government appeased the settlers instead of punishing them. No honest person can blame the Palestinians for the conflict and collapse of the peace process, which the Israeli government turned into a process of building colonies, killing, oppression and no peace.
Israelis should not be inveigled by US support and its billions. That is not going to bring them security and peace. Capitalists do not invest anywhere unless they know they are making profits. President Joe Biden said in Congress in 1986 when he was a Senator, “If we look at the Middle East, I think it is about time we stopped those of us who support Israel in this body for apologising for our support for Israel. There is no apology to be made, none. It is the best three-billion-dollar investment we make. If there weren’t an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect her interests in the region. The United States would have to go out and invent an Israel.”
Nor does the recognition of Israel by some Arab regimes. Israel’s problem is not with them; they are not the ones who are fighting Israel. It is the Palestinians who hold the key to peace and stability.
It is wise to remember that might is not right. Relying on the sword and nuclear bombs to protect one of the biggest crimes of the century is an illusion to accomplish security and peace, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword”. Only justice will bring security and peace.
Israelis have two options: either continue with their apartheid colonial project and endure a cycle of insecurity and bloodshed, indefinitely, or achieve lasting security and peace by recognising the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. This can be accomplished through coexistence and equality within a single democratic state or by establishing two states within a federation or confederation.
If Israel and its Western protectors are sincere about peace and security and wish to prevent operations like October 7 or even worse from happening again, they must put an end to self-deception, confront reality, learn from the fate of colonial and apartheid regimes and their ongoing conflict with the Palestinian people. They need to recognise the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to return, self-determination, and to equality in their homeland. The cycle of violence will continue until these rights are recognised. The sooner Israel recognises this reality, the better for everyone.
Ali Kazak is a former Palestinian ambassador and head of delegation to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific region. He is an expert in Australian-Arab relations and affairs, and author of “Australia and the Arabs”. (In Arabic).
https://johnmenadue.com/an-open-letter-to-israelis-where-to-from-here/