TOKYO - I have served as a negotiator and mediator in many international conflicts, including the investigation of war crimes that took place during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I have defended Palestinians in Israeli courts, and I have convened back-channel Palestinian-Israeli forums for many years.
The developments surrounding the cease-fire in Gaza are fragile. Since it took effect, the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 400. The situation is precarious. It was clear that both Israel and Hamas would blame the other side for violating the cease-fire agreement. There is an urgency in setting up an implementation mechanism, with monitoring, verification and compliance.
It is important to remember that the ultimate goal of the peace process is to establish a Palestinian state as a single entity, not to treat Gaza and the West Bank separately, and to ensure there are security guarantees for both Israel and Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to establish a Palestinian state. But Israel's ongoing settlement expansion and occupation of the West Bank, as well as its constant conflict with Palestine, are "suicidal" acts that have catastrophic consequences for both sides and ultimately endanger Israel's own security.
Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, countries with which it once fought. It has also established diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. However, it was unable to prevent Hamas' surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which, inter alia, was aimed at preventing normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The 1993 Oslo Accords, which recognized the right of Palestinians to self-determination, have collapsed. It is crucial to emphasize that the establishment of a Palestinian state aligns with Israel's national interests. This is not merely a "normalization" of relations with Palestine; it is a mechanism to ensure security for Israel and Palestine.
To this end, a solution must be found to the settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem where around 750,000 settlers live. A land swap on a 1:1 ratio between Israeli sovereign land and Palestinian land will need to be part of the agreement, and the settlers must be disarmed.
After the cease-fire agreement, Israeli forces still occupy 53 percent of Gaza. There is no timeline for further withdrawals, and it is unlikely that Israel will withdraw from all of the Gaza Strip anytime soon.
However, Israel cannot continue the war in Gaza without the backing of the United States. President Donald Trump has realized that Netanyahu's approach is wrong and has maintained pressure to reach a cease-fire. We must take this opportunity to establish a permanent cease-fire and achieve sustainable peace. For that goal to materialize there has to be consistent pressure on Trump from all key actors in the region and beyond. A united global position will be of huge benefit in that regard.
The Palestinian side is also divided. The last time elections for a democratic government were held was in 2006, when Hamas won. The Palestinian Authority has been accused of corruption. The international community has called on it to reform yet has failed to bring about any meaningful reforms. It is clear that President Mahmoud Abbas no longer represents the will of the Palestinian people.
The grief experienced by the families of those killed in attacks by Hamas in Israel and by Israeli forces in Gaza will never fade. Both sides are deeply traumatized. But there is hope. There are people who are taking strong action to overcome hatred and grief. There is a growing number of joint projects involving Israeli and Palestinian victims of terror who call for forgiveness and coexistence.
We must continue to support the growing number of Israeli and Palestinian movements calling for human rights, dignity and the equality of both sides to be recognized.
(Nomi Bar-Yaacov, born in London and raised also in Jerusalem, is a former political adviselast r and speech writer to the U.N. secretary general, and is now a fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. Her great-granduncle was the renowned international law and human rights lawyer Hersch Lauterpacht, who was one of the British prosecutors at the Nuremberg trials. She lectures on how to get from war to peace at many universities across the globe. This piece was written based on interviews with Bar-Yaacov.)
