Israel’s air offensive in Gaza has cost around 100 lives. The world is mute to this carnage and brazen assault. The regional bully-Israel- is preparing for a ground offensive which would drag the region into war. Its prime minister- Benjamin Netanyahu- the smooth talking , snake oil salesman like person who likes to charm the Americans with nonsense and hate filled bile has his eyes firmly on the impending elections and is using cynically the offensive to shore up support for himself. America has made some noises about the carnage but essentially dares not upset and offend its regional ally.
All this then leaves the trajectory and denouement of the conflict to the regional players like Turkey, Egypt and the mini statelet, Qatar. This is an interesting and a novel development. Saudi Arabia is not in the picture; neither is Iran. This then means that the region’s power equations and dynamic are changing and new configurations emerging. Turkey, hitherto the only Muslim ally of Israel has also made some interesting remarks which essentially put or deepen the distance and gulf between it and Israel. Turkey may not be entirely rooting for the Palestinians on account of altruism. It may be trying to insert and involve itself in Arab Muslim affairs and looking eastward; than westward. Egypt with whom Israel has a peace treaty is now governed by the Muslim Brotherhood. It may be Egypt and Turkey in combination that may exert diplomatic pressure on Israel to stop the invasion and the bloodshed. This is because both states are now important players and have or hold some leverage over Israel. Israel may not want to lose the only vestige of support it has in the Muslim world and it may be keen to keep the peace treaty between it and Egypt intact.
If Egypt and Turkey are successful in halting the orgy of violence, it is all well and good and will be welcomed by all. However, the essential question of Palestine and the conflict remains. The diplomatic flurry to stop the violence will then be in the nature of a palliative and a balm: it will stem the blood flow but not the rot within. It is this question and conflict that the international community should be devoting itself to. The latest flare up-whatever the immediate catalyst and reason- is just the symptom; not the disease. It then is irrational to merely attend to the symptoms.
So what should the international community be doing? First, we should disaggregate the international community. The international community is the United States and the regional Arab Muslim players insofar the Israel Arab dispute is concerned. There is no such thing as a European international presence or foreign policy. The European Union is a joke insofar international politics and relations are concerned. Yes: it makes noises on and off , but making noise just makes it feel good and assuage its collective ego. So essentially, it is the United States along with the new regional players that can, in the final analysis, lead to a final and lasting settlement of the Israel Palestinian dispute.
The United States should assert itself again and inject life into the now moribund peace process. This may even constitute America’s national interest given its low standing in the Arab and Muslim worlds and the widespread anti Americanism prevalent in the lands. It is not implied that here that the country bend its back backwards but rather it leans on its ally in the Middle East: Israel. The United States should essentially be telling Israel that it gets is act together and seriously negotiate a peace deal with the Palestinians. The Israeli response will be usual: the old , sterile and hackneyed one that it has no one to talk to. Israel will point out to Hamas , call it a terror outfit bent on destroying the state of Israel. It will also cast Hamas as an anti -western entity and depict the conflict between Israel and Palestine in civilizational terms. The United States should call Israel’s bluff , see through it and insist on restarting the peace process.
Similarly, the United States should quietly open communications with Hamas and ask the organization to be open to negotiations. The country could use the good offices of Egypt to convey its desire to restart negotiations with Hamas. The issue here is more broader and wider than the Israel Palestinian conflict. It is , at some levels, a metaphor for the alleged conflict between the West and Islam. The United States unqualified and strong support for Israel’s policies is viewed in the Muslim world as an example of the country’s hostility towards Islam. This is untrue but perceptions matter. (Israel plays this up and presents itself as the West’s face and outpost in a hostile orientalist environment).
The United States would do well in discarding its assumptions about the Israel Palestinian dispute and give the peace process a shove. It should see the situation and the conflict objectively and then do the requisite. Both Hamas and Israel should reciprocate sincerely. This will not be palatable to many in the United States but prudent and sagacious statecraft is not about pandering or pleasing people or lobbies. It is about cold national interest and peace. It is with this in mind that the United States should approach the conflict and bring about a solution that is satisfiscing. A lot of good will come out of it.
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