US Action NOW for Palestine-Israel Peace
These snatches of Prophetic Vision sometimes agree and sometimes disagree with each other. For not even prophetic vision can adequately express the Infinite ways to seek deep healing and justice inherent in the Breath of life.
Robert Brand is a Senior Fellow at The Shalom Center with work specializing in the climate crisis and defense of democracy. He also has a decades long commitment to peace, justice and democracy in Israel and Palestine. He served on the Board of Americans for Peace Now from 1991 to 2002 and was Vice President of the Board from 1995 to 1997. He also worked on the business plan development of a major environmental initiative for Palestine from 1994 to 2000. His client was a Palestinian and Palestinian American corporation. In that position he spent considerable time in Israel and Palestine, including Gaza when there was a hope and expectation of peace and mutual security. This analysis is one of an array of prophetic visions that take different stances. None is necessarily the defining stance of The Shalom Center.
— AW, ed.
US Action NOW for Palestine-Israel Peace
by Robert Brand
NOW is the time for the United States to recognize the state of Palestine.
NOW is the time to open an Embassy in Ramallah, to open consulates in other Palestinian cities, and to send US soldiers to protect them from violence by anyone.
NOW is the time to open economic, postal, and other relations of the kind the US has with every other nation in the world
The President could take this action on his own. It is bold, simple, and creative enough to clear the bloody fog of war that now hangs over the Middle East — and the fog of fear and confusion that now hangs over the Presidential election.
And while this action may upset the Netanyahu regime, it does not at all disturb US relations with Israel.
A ceasefire and huge increases in aid — first food, water, and medical, then rebuilding — is necessary but not sufficient. The current worsening crisis in Gaza and increasingly on the West Bank creates a fierce urgency for recognition of the state of Palestine to be done now. Both Palestinians and Israelis are living with decades of unremitting societal trauma which keeps them in counterproductive and stupid decision making, which demands that their allies help push them towards peace. There are three major reasons that the United States take executive action to recognize Palestine now.
For Palestine: Recognizing a state of Palestine is an act of simple justice. Conditional recognition of Palestine can be done now provided that this nascent state extend mutual recognition to Israel, commit to demilitarization, free hostages, and begin daily ongoing negotiations for a peace treaty with Israel and for regional peace treaties and mutual recognition. Palestine as a state will legitimately claim the right to control the use of publicly owned land, water resources and infrastructure. Palestine will also be able to demand an end to the military occupation they have endured for 57 years. Palestine as a state will be closer to a position of equality with Israel which will help peace negotiations proceed with mutual respect. Even if the current government of Israel rejects such recognition other nations and international bodies will recognize Palestine which will put significant international pressure on Israel to recognize that Palestine will simply not go away.
For Israel: The United States recognition of Palestine as a state will send a clear and unmistakable message to the government of Israel and to Israelis that now is the time not only to have a cease-fire but also to begin the process of making peace. Israel cannot continue to occupy Palestine. Even with its unsubstantial legal definition of territories the occupation has been illegal for over 50 years, contributes to international isolation of Israel, and is unaffordable. As our ally we expect Israel to recognize a Palestine committed to recognizing and living at peace with Israel, end the occupation of Palestine, release prisoners held without charges or with flimsy charges, and commit to a daily negotiation of a final peace agreement with Palestine and its other neighbors in the region. For decades the United States has contributed to the military capabilities of Israel, but even with that contribution the events of September and October — months of intelligence failure suggesting an overwhelmed intelligence system, reducing the call up of reservists, moving Israeli Defense Forces from Gaza to the West Bank leaving both occupied territories more vulnerable — show an Israeli military that is frayed and unable to maintain even its brutal occupation.
For the United States: The United States is being dragged into an ever widening crisis by a government of Israel that responds to every proposal by the United States to de-escalate with conscious increases in violence, killing of Gazan civilians, massive destruction of homes and essential infrastructure including schools, hospitals, and social services. While Mr. Netanyahu is an expert at sloganeering that he will completely destroy Hamas, the simple reality is he is actually destroying Gaza. At the same time we now have extremist Israeli settlers moving into Gaza to set up an outpost and an increase in anti-Palestinian violence on the West Bank. These policies destroy years and years of work, sometimes flawed, by the United States under Republican and Democratic administrations to create some level of regional mutual recognition and peace. The simple reality is that Israel is acting against the interests of the United States, without consultation and then expecting for the United States to pick up the bill. At this point the only credible claim for “the land from the river to the sea” is made by Israel.
The Middle East is in crisis and the crisis threatens to get worse every day. The crisis has called out for solution during the many decades of occupation. The cries became louder and more widespread after the atrocious attack and the seizure of Israeli hostages by Hamas on October 7. For many years much of the world looked the other way at the terrible toll of the occupation, hoping for a more gentle and more quiet occupation. During this time there would be periodic explosions of violence with Palestinians blaming Israel for the denial of basic rights and the indignity of the occupation. This while Israel blamed Palestinians for once again demonstrating that there was no partner docile enough for peace. Since October 7 the escalation of violence has been ugly and continuous with the death toll of 1400 Israelis (probably more if we include soldiers), more than 200 hostages held, more than 30,000 dead Palestinians in Gaza (two thirds of whom are women and children), hundreds of arrests and detentions of Palestinians on the West Bank often with no charges, and the vast majority of the population of Gaza displaced with more than 100,000 buildings destroyed.
The United States has been working with diplomatic allies to secure an extended cease fire and release of hostages. We must continue to press vigorously for such policies. We should make clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that his continuing escalation of conflict endangers Israel, slaughters Palestinians, threatens neighboring nations, and seeks to have the United States finance and support continuing and escalating violence, which is unacceptable. We should also make clear to the Palestinians that violent outbreaks like October 7 are obstacles to freedom, recognition, and a peaceful nation.
The United States will say this to both sides and to all neighboring nations because it is the truth, it is the only road to justice, fairness, and stability and because the world has many problems to solve and cannot continue to be embroiled in escalating harms and counter harms in the Middle East. Where there is hope for peace with security for Palestinians and Israelis, we will use our influence and resources to secure policies that make such hope a reality.