Peace for Israel?

Letter to the Editor as Published in the Jewish Independent on November 21, 2022

My mother grew up in Berlin. Following Kristallnacht, at 18 years of age, she was sent by Kindertransport to Holland. She survived the war with forged Dutch identification documents and periods in hiding. Her parents, brother and most of her extended family were murdered in Auschwitz. Postwar, she was a supporter of Zionism. I understand the importance of Israel and have always been concerned with its welfare.

There are many ideas over what should happen between Israel and the Palestinians. There is the “two-state solution,” “unilateral withdrawal” or a “necessary occupation.” But none of these resolves what is driving the conflict. These positions are shallow on understanding and thin on constructive change. They are based on a mixture of emotions and seeming logic, and they are invariably only an expression of well established identities, prejudices and worldviews.

As a Second Generation survivor and as a student of social conflict – in addition to holding a master of arts degree in conflict analysis and management, I had a 40-year career with the Vancouver Police – I know that successfully addressing disputes is more than just finding some right answer for a perceived problem.

Humans are multifaceted and complicated. We separate into “us” and “them,” we compete for resources, we fabricate stories about each other, we pass down biases and beliefs, and we unload our traumas. As well, we exist in an historic fabric containing entrenched struggles. In that sense, many conflicts are not even of our own making. To establish a lasting resolution, many things need to be sorted out.

I have found that there is one mindset required to establish enduring peace – no matter what is happening, there must be an authentic and deep curiosity over what the drivers of a struggle really are.

Exploring a conflict means shelving those too “obvious” solutions, putting aside assumptions and deferring prevailing narratives. It obliges us to remember that we are all human and, therefore, hold the same physical, social, emotional and spiritual make-up. It involves engaging with, asking questions of and listening to everyone associated with the situation.

Involvement in discussion transforms and evolves relationships, provides insights into perceptions and reactions, revises historical accounts and provides personal growth. At some point, discourse will shine light on what is happening and why, and will lead to what needs to be done. Harmony only ever emerges from humans actually talking to one another.

For those seeking peace, the challenge is establishing a safe space for conversations. Only when people can step back from their defences can they open themselves to work with their complete humanity – which contains understanding, empathy and inclusion.

Where in the Middle East today are the secure spaces for curious conversations? Who has the wisdom, courage and leadership to create them? For without them there will only be further cycles of war. Sometimes, outsiders are best positioned to initiate them.

This is something Canada can do.