Word: Dealing with the Israel-Palestine crisis

Observer, UK -  So let’s be honest. Benjamin Netanyahu is not fit to be Israel’s prime minister. His de facto rejection of the UN-backed two-state solution, his support for seizures or annexation of Palestinian land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, his discriminatory attitude to Israeli Arabs, his tolerance of neo-fascist religious and far-right settler groups and the recent police outrage at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque have all stoked the current crisis.

Let’s be honest. Mahmoud Abbas, a discredited figure who presides over the Palestinian Authority, is not a fit leader for Palestine, especially without new elections. But neither is Hamas, an oppressive, aggressive organisation that depends on Qatar and Iran, rejects Israel’s right to exist and evidently has no qualms about using its own people as human shields to advance its claim to Palestine’s leadership.

Let’s be honest. In the end, issues of religion, ethnicity, race and even land are not the main problem. The problem is that, politically speaking, both Israelis and Palestinians are shockingly badly led. Each day, shared hopes of peace, security and prosperity are betrayed by blinkered politicians and ideologues who prioritise their own interests and prejudices. Each day, by their actions and inactions, the US and Britain perpetuate a historical confrontation they played a big part in creating.

Both sides need fresh leaders, infused with a vision for peace, not war. A truce is a necessary first step and is required immediately. But a cessation must not be a signal, as in the past, for the world’s attention to turn away. It must be the moment when a new, determined international diplomatic drive begins for a permanent two-state settlement that both peoples, under new management, can live with. It’s the only honest way.