At this point in time, I feel like it would be very difficult to propose any type of solution that would lead to a peaceful and successful resolution that fully satisfies both sides. Although I believe both sides of the conflict need to compromise in some way, the Palestinians have made it very difficult for the Israelis to make any type of compromise for peace.
Israel has signed independent peace treaties with both Egypt and Jordan on separate occasions. Each time they gave away either land, water, settlements, or strategic military advantage in order to achieve a peaceful agreement. Israel has given the Palestinian Authority land, money, weapons, training, and intelligence, all in the hope that the PA would reciprocate with an end to terror and incitement.
All in all, Israel wants peace and has proven it in so many different occasions by giving up land. They need to have a partner for peace in order to move forward in any way.
Once again, I am aware that both sides are not perfect. Israel has done it's fare share of harm yet they have spoken and reached out to prove that they have hope for some kind of peaceful future because they have actually taken some kind of actions. In 1917, 1937, 1947, 1956, and 1993 Israeli leaders established a pattern of accepting the handover of land in exchange for peace agreements with its Arab neighbors. These actions have proved to be measures that promote peace between the two conflicting groups of people.
Israel is the only real democracy in the Middle East. Hamas is the obstacle to peace. If Hamas and more Arab countries would adopt a democratic agenda like Israel has done, it allows for hope for a peaceful future. I am a strong supporter of Israel because it promotes these principles that the United States has worked so hard to implement to the point where it actually works! Israel and the United states share the fundamental principles of freedom and equality. Both of these nations were established by immigrants who sought freedom from oppression, and both are rooted in the tenets of democracy, human dignity and religious freedom.
Israel happens to be the only country in the entire Middle East where all citizens, INCLUDING Arabs, are able to have representation in the government, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and women's rights. By implementing some of these valued principles in an Arab Country, they have a chance to be able to live in a way that masks Israel's democratic government--which allows Israel to be a continuous ally to the United States by supporting their international policy.
There are some obstacles that need to be overcome in order for some kind of peace to be established: Israel needs to actually be recognized as a state, religious wars need to stop occurring, and support and glorification of terror and violence needs to end. There are actually Palestinian schools that are teaching their young students that Israel does not exist. Yes, they're actually showing them maps of the Middle East where the state of Israel is not included. How can that be spreading any type of tolerance and acceptance when they are being taught from a young age that Israel needs to be wiped out. All evidence of Israel and its cities has been eliminated and replaced by "Palestine." I have seen numerous Palestinian media where they celebrate terrorism by celebrating bombings which teach children to view death as martyrdom.
This website (http://www.memri.org/subject/en/331.htm) highlights so many instances in which young Palestinian children are succumbed to watching TV shows where the act of killing is glamorized. Which leads me to my next point--educating children with accurate and meaningful facts that establishes a sense of desired peace in their minds rather than continued war violence. The conflict will never improve if both sides are teaching their young children about the atrocities that the others may have committed. The situation will continue to be exactly as it is--never reaching a point where the conflict will improve in any way. Children cannot see the "opposing side" as enemies; they need to have empathy and realize that they are all people with emotions and desires. Acceptance needs to be preached.
I wish I could offer a direct solution but before that can even be thought about, there are changes that need to occur and I have only hit on a handful of them.
This type of education only increases the "Us versus Them" mentality and only increases the feeling of fraternal deprivation. I find it horrible that this is taught to the children because the children will have the chance to change the conflict in twenty years. I do not mean that these children should not learn about the violent history but it should be done in a way that can lead to acceptance.
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