The human tragedies of the past four years in Palestine and Israel bare witness to the failure of the Government of Israel and the United States leadership to acknowledge the imperative historical rights of the Palestinian people; namely self determination and the establishment of a viable Palestinian state on all the territories occupied by Israel in the June 1967 War.

The outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada (uprising) four years ago underlined Israel’s lack of will and commitment to end its illegal occupation of the West Bank (including east Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip in all its shapes and forms, to dismantle Jewish settlements (and their infrastructure) on occupied Palestinian territory, and to recognize the Palestinian refugees’ legitimate right of return to their original homes in historical Palestine (Israel), in accordance with UN Resolution 194.

To suggest that such demands are unrealistic and/or constitute an unworkable solution to the Palestinian-Zionist conflict negates the core principles of justice, democracy, and freedom. The inevitable Palestinian share of a compromise in ending the conflict is the acceptance of 22% of pre-1948 Palestine as a home for the Palestinian nation. To call for a reconsideration and reevaluation of these positions encourages a cosmetic and superficial arrangement that will only lead to further bloodshed and suffering on both sides.

While the international community remains all but silent towards Israel’s continued assaults against the Palestinian population in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and while the United States continues to actively support Israel’s shortsighted and destructive policies towards the Palestinian people and Government, a word of caution is needed: without immediate international action to end Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, including the dismantling of Israel’s Apartheid Wall, and without a more balanced US role in the region, the prospects of real peace will remain distant, and even unrealistic.

A renewed political dialogue (based on existing legal foundations: UN Resolutions 242, 194, and the land-for-peace equation) between Israel, Palestine, and the international community is urgently needed at this time in order to end hostilities and ultimately restart final status negotiations.