The Politics of Peace

By Aaron Jacobs
University of Arizona

We all have been told to refrain from discussing politics at the dinner table. But why? Is it because people come from different backgrounds with different opinions? Is it because politics in some cases can be a very sensitive subject? Shouldn't we be promoting diversity and difference of opinions? And yet, politics more often than not have become a taboo subject matter.

For me, the lack of a political conversation is not such a loss. For the most part, my political involvement ended with my USY career. But, by being a pro-Israel advocate on a college campus, I have found myself becoming more involved with the political scene. There is always something going on in the news with regard to Israel. Most recently: the resuming of peace talks.

For months now, President Obama has been involved on and off with peace talks between Israel's Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. So, what's the big deal? This argument has been going on for nearly 63 years! Why can't we all come to some sort of consensus?

In a New York Times op-ed written by Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, entitled "An end to Israel's Invisibility", he writes about the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The first step towards peace is for the Palestinian people to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. "Affirmation of Israel's Jewishness is the very foundation of peace, its DNA," Oren writes. There is a need for mutual acceptance that both Jews and Palestinians have ancient ties to the land and the right to live there. Oren continues, "if both peoples are to live side by side in two states in genuine and lasting peace," this mutual acceptance is essential at the beginning of these peace talks.

Peace won't be achieved overnight, and it's unclear if any progress will come out of these alleged talks. But the truth is that Israel has proven over and over again that it wants peace and is willing to make sacrifices toward that goal. Yet how can Israel work with its neighbors when they refuse to accept its right to exist? As long as the Palestinian leaders refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, Israel has no partner for peace.

The conflict is a gigantic political game. There are politics involved with Obama's involvement, the approach that Prime Minister Netanyahu takes, and certainly the same for PA President Abbas. Perhaps one day, hopefully sooner, rather than later, we will see a day where unnecessary politics are put aside and peace can be achieved.

Aaron Jacobs is a senior at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He is an alumnus of United Synagogue's Nativ College Leadership program, as well as a former KOACH Intern.

[Posted 11/6/10]