If the recent rocket attacks on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza tell us anything, it is that the status quo in the Middle Eastis not a safe choice for Israelis or Palestinians. In the current politicalclimate, it is highly unlikely that bilateral talks between Israel and thePalestinians can restart. Action is needed that will alter the current dynamic.As Elders, we believe that the Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nationsis such a moment.
On Nov. 29, UN member states will be asked to vote on aresolution to grant “non-member observer state status” to Palestine, asignificant upgrade from its current “observer entity” status. We urge all memberstates to vote in favor. In going to the General Assembly, PalestinianPresident Mahmoud Abbas is not carrying out a provocative act. Nor is heundermining trust and distracting from the pursuit of peace, as his criticshave said.
This is a vote for human rights and the rule of law. It iscompletely consistent with decades of commitment by the United States, Europeand the rest of the world to peace in the Middle East based on the creation ofa viable and contiguous Palestinian state existing side by side with Israel. Itis a lawful, peaceful, diplomatic act in line with past U.N. resolutions andinternational law. Yet this is a sensitive vote, and we know that manycountries are considering abstaining or voting no.
If this resolution fails, it will probably mark the death ofthe two-state solution and move us even closer to a one-state outcome, withuncertain and potentially catastrophic consequences for both Israelis andPalestinians. Let us articulate what a one-state outcome means: it either meansthat Israel will annex the West Bank, and give Palestinians full, equal rightsas citizens of Israel “ which seems unlikely “ eventually eroding the Jewishmajority in the country, or it means that Israel will deny equal rights to itsnon-Jewish population. Neither outcome gives the Palestinians the state offreedom and dignity that is their right, nor does it provide a secure,democratic homeland for the Jewish people.
On the other hand, wide support for this resolution wouldaffirm what an overwhelming majority of people around the world “ includingIsraelis and Palestinians “ believe: that the two-state solution remains thesurest path to peace in the Middle East. A month ago, we stood together on theMount of Olives in East Jerusalem, on the grounds of the Augusta VictoriaHospital. This medical facility is a Palestinian model of excellence for cancertreatment and is only a few miles from the rest of the West Bank, yetPalestinians face enormously complicated Israeli permit requirements simply toaccess care.
From the hospital’s vantage point we looked over vastIsraeli settlements spreading across the West Bank, as well as the wire fences,high walls and roads that increasingly separate the Jewish and Arabpopulations. The rate of settlement growth in East Jerusalem and the West Bankis staggering. There are now more than 500,000 Israeli settlers living beyondthe Green Line, in violation of international law. Their numbers have doubledsince the Oslo peace accords of 1993. Thousands more settlement homes areplanned or under construction. The peace process established by Oslo has notjust stalled; it is going backwards fast. With every Palestinian family evictedor home demolished, with every new Israeli settler home built, the integrity ofthe territory promised to the Palestinians becomes further compromised.
A vote for the resolution will help to safeguard thetwo-state solution and enhance prospects for future negotiations. We furtherhope that threats to punish the Palestinians financially or otherwise forexploring this option, using an avenue to which they are entitled, will bewithdrawn. Some are calling for the vote to be delayed but this is simply a bidto do nothing.
The disillusionment and fatigue we found among Israelis andPalestinians compels a bold act of international leadership. We know that thereare many Israelis who share our view that to re-engage with the two-statesolution is to revive the very feasibility of peace, and is therefore inIsrael’s fundamental interest. We especially urge the nations with the greatestinfluence on the parties “ the United States, European Union and the Arabstates “ to vote together in favor and save the two-state solution before it istoo late.
Gro Harlem Brundtland was prime minister of Norway when theOslo Peace Accords were signed in 1993. Jimmy Carter was the 39th president ofthe United States and negotiated the 1978 Camp David Accords and the 1979Egypt-Israel peace treaty. They are both members of The Elders, a group ofindependent leaders working for peace and human rights
