The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: breaking the deadlock

All those who have an interest in the status quo are supporting the Quartet. We need to get rid of the Quartet, revitalize the Arab Peace Initiative and promote the latest French initiative.

As for now, preparing peaceHowever, seventy years of failures in the attempts to bring peace between Israel and Palestine have taught us that diplomacy alone is not enough. Seven decades of suffering, the loss of Palestinian dignity as well as the political opportunism from the leaders of the two sides have built psychological barriers which are almost impossible to overcome in the current situation unless a process of people-to-people interactions for a period of time precedes the peace negotiations.

There is a need for mutual understanding to accept the obvious: the destruction of Israel or the vanishing of the Palestinians are impossible scenarios. Coexistence between the two peoples is the inevitable historical horizon.

This entails ending the poisonous narratives delivered by leaders from both sides, ending rampant settlement construction, changing school textbooks that demonise the Other, supporting common initiatives like Ecopeace to protect shared environmental heritage... all conditions that will pave the way for peace.

In Human, All Too Human, Nietzsche stated "Whoever lives for the sake of combating an enemy has an interest in the enemy's staying alive". His words resonate with this conflict where the Other is reduced to their role as a hereditary enemy. Breaking this cycle is our ambition.

With this favourable climate, the current diplomatic efforts and some mutual confidence-building, we have the will to solve once and for all the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the EU has the capacity to assume the leadership role. This is our roadmap to reach peace.

This article was originally published in Le Monde.