Israel and Palestine: Ways out of War, Terror and Occupation

Given the level of violence and hostility since 7 October, a political solution to the Israeli-Pales­tinian conflict seems a long way off. At the same time, it is more urgent than ever. Together with experts from the region, a new LibMod project aims to explore the oppor­tu­nities for a two-state solution and for security and cooper­ation in the Middle East. 

The terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023 was a turning point for the country, but also for Jews worldwide. It was the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. In response to this massacre, Israel exercised its right to self-defence and began destroying Hamas’ military infra­structure in Gaza. Unfor­tu­nately, the ongoing war has also cost thousands of civilian lives, as Hamas has system­at­i­cally entrenched its military instal­la­tions in civilian facil­ities such as hospitals, schools and residential neigh­bour­hoods. But the death of Sinwar gives the chance for a ceasefire and a hostage deal.  

The terrorist attack and the subse­quent war have created a paradoxical situation. On the one hand, the rifts between Israelis and Pales­tinians have been widened, new traumas have been created and hostility and mutual mistrust have deepened. At the same time, it has become clear that the status quo of repeated wars and ongoing occupation with no prospect of a political solution has become untenable. 

The Israeli strategy of simply managing the conflict has failed. On the other hand, the strategy of terror against Israel is leading the Pales­tinians into a hopeless situation. 

A political solution to the conflict is therefore more urgent than ever, especially as Israel is threatened with a multi-front war with Iran and its allies. An under­standing between Israel and the Pales­tinians that creates security and self-deter­mi­nation for both sides is also an important building block for a more compre­hensive security archi­tecture in the Middle East. 

In this difficult situation, we have launched a project to explore the possi­bil­ities of a political solution to the Israeli-Pales­tinian conflict. Since the summer, we have estab­lished a network of experts from Israel and the Pales­tinian terri­tories, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the United States and Germany. Together, we want to use constructive dialogue to identify peaceful ways out of war, terror and occupation in the Middle East. An Israeli-Pales­tinian under­standing should – in the style of the European CSCE process – become part of a more compre­hensive alliance for security and cooper­ation in the Middle East, including Israel. If there is to be any chance of peace, the regional actors and states must play a central role in this process. This also applies to the necessary security guarantees for Israel and the Pales­tinians. 

The basis for a political solution will be the existing concepts for a two-state solution, which, however, need to be updated in light of the changed circum­stances. One key question will be how much separation and how much co-operation there should be in future between Israel and the future Pales­tinian state. 

It is also clear that there will be no two-state solution as long as Israel has to fear that a Pales­tinian state will become a base for further terrorist and rocket attacks. At the same time, the solution of the Israeli-Pales­tinian conflict is also of central impor­tance for the future of Israel as a Jewish and democ­ratic state. The undig­nified situation of millions of Pales­tinians under Israeli occupation must be ended as quickly as possible. The conflict with the Pales­tinians must be resolved, not least in view of the threat to Israel from Iran and its allies, but also for the sake of the future of Israeli democracy. Without a tangible prospect of a political solution, any ceasefire is merely a breathing space before the next war. 

The first meeting of the network on 8–9 October took place in the most unfavorable political circum­stances, one year after the 7 October massacre and the start of the war in Gaza. Never­theless, 14 people from Israel, the Westbank and the region came to Berlin in person, and one Pales­tinian partic­i­pated online. 

The discussion was largely conducted in a calm and constructive atmos­phere, demon­strating a willingness on all sides to reach out to each other. 

 We decided that the meetings take place under Chatham house rules. Therefore the names of the partic­i­pantswill not be published.