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Protesters calling for an end to the war in Gaza march to the White House in Washington on January 13. Photo: dpa

Letters | Crucial 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
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification.
There have been growing calls for a ceasefire or a cessation of the Israel-Hamas conflict that erupted in October last year. However, what needs to be evaluated is a crucial element that would allow a sustainable path to reconciliation and peace: tolerance.

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.

Wong Shiu Chi, North Point

Help free a Chinese-Israeli hostage

I am asking for China’s urgent help with freeing Chinese-Israeli hostage Noa Argamani. She has been held captive for more than 100 days by Hamas. Her mother is Chinese and dying of cancer.
I lived and worked in China and Hong Kong for many years and have studied the language and the culture. I know Chinese people are kind and compassionate. Noa and other hostages were kidnapped on October 7. They are not combatants but innocents. She should not have to wait until the end of the war which may take a long time. Others were freed by pressure from their governments.

I am asking the leaders and people of China to do everything in your power to insist that she be released before it is too late.

Julie Mendelsohn, Zichron Yaakov, Israel

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