LettersCrucial ingredient in Israeli-Hamas peace is missing
- Readers discuss why international agreements alone can’t provide a strong foundation for meaningful change in the Middle East, and ask for Chinese help with freeing a Chinese-Israeli hostage
Tolerance is essential, as it fosters trust-building and provides a strong foundation for meaningful change. To achieve permanent peace between Israelis and Palestinians, their religious, cultural and historical roots and backgrounds must be acknowledged, respected and taken seriously. A lack of tolerance has resulted in deep mistrust and a never-ending cycle of violence.
International agreements alone cannot entirely address the issue if the relevant parties cannot cultivate an environment of tolerance and understanding. For example, the Oslo Accords of 1993 aimed for a two-state solution, and resulted in limited self-governance for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
However, the absence of tolerance hindered the implementation of the accords, and the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues to this day. Without tolerance, prospects of peace exist only on paper; the reality is that international agreements are unable to address the deep animosities that fuel the conflict.
Lasting peace requires the full realisation of tolerance between Israelis and Palestinians, and indeed among the global community. Embracing tolerance as a crucial ingredient would allow a resolution bringing peace, security and stability to Palestinians and Israelis.