Israelis and Palestinians have suffered enough. It’s time to choose peace, not pride

The release of 20 living hostages, plus the bodies of remaining dead hostages, will allow Israeli society to begin to heal from the deep wounds caused by October 7th and the subsequent war.

Equally, the conclusion of the war in Gaza will allow Palestinians to begin to rebuild. What that rebuild looks like will rely, in no small part, on whether Palestinian leadership can step up to the occasion, acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, and reject further bloodshed.

The Middle East is changing. Despite increasing Western criticism levelled at Israel, its relationships with its regional neighbours are far more productive than at any point in history. Israel’s peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan have stood the test of time; the Abraham Accords - peace agreements signed between Israel and Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco and Sudan - have endured the post-October 7 conflict. New peace agreements with Saudi Arabia and Syria may be on Israel’s horizon, and the president of Indonesia, the nation with the largest Muslim population, recently spoke at the UN on the need to guarantee the safety and security of Israel.

One obvious, unanswered question remains: do the leaders of the Palestinian people now wish to join this coalition of peace?

The Palestinian people have long suffered, and their desire for independence precedes the war in Gaza. Whilst some will choose to blame Israel for this suffering, questions must be asked of the Palestinian leadership. Since Palestinian nationalism rose to prominence in the 1960s, several opportunities for peace and independence have come and gone, with the Palestinian leadership consistently refusing to agree to a deal. Bill Clinton would famously condemn Yasser Arafat for his ‘colossal mistake’ in walking away from a ‘once in a lifetime peace opportunity’ after the 2000 Camp David Summit.

In the time that has passed since, the Palestinian position has not moderated. 72% of Palestinians supported the October 7th attacks on Israel, and Hamas’s popularity in the West Bank skyrocketed in the aftermath. In the meantime, the ‘moderate’ Fatah, the majority PLO faction that controls the Palestinian Authority (who continue to offer monthly financial support to the perpetrators and families of perpetrators of terror attacks against Jews) have sunk in the polls.

To complicate matters further, Fatah’s 89-year-old Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, is not getting any younger. Now into his 20th year of a four-year term as President of the Palestinian Authority, Israelis and Palestinians alike fear the violent power struggle that could erupt upon his passing.

This pattern of violence must break. If the Camp David Summit offered Palestinians a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for peace, then this is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. The Palestinian people have the backing of their Arab neighbours, who themselves now seek warmer relations with Israel. There is also the Trump Factor, and his peace plan offers not just a pathway to self-determination, but a viable, prosperous future.

Now, genuinely moderate leaders, who are willing to recognise Israel’s place in the region, must come to the fore and offer a new vision for the future. Peace in the region depends on it.

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Ben Freeman is the Executive Director of the Pinsker Centre, a think tank focused on international relations and Middle Eastern affairs.

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