Grassroots peacebuilding the bedrock of a lasting peace

For now, the prospect of reaching a peaceful settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a remote possibility. However, while many feel sheer despair, the present moment is also an opportunity to revisit what has gone badly wrong over more than 30 years of attempts to reach a lasting peace between the two sides.

There is little doubt in my mind that, while the architects of the 1993 Oslo Accords on both sides were committed to the necessary compromises required to reach a final status agreement, they failed to achieve this because they believed in an “elite peace.” In their focus on pushing forward the peace process, they neglected the need to build a critical mass of support for this long and hazardous journey through closely collaborating with a civil society that could spread the message of peace far and wide.

It was Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state, very much associated with the realist school of thought, who once remarked that “no foreign policy — no matter how ingenious — has any chance of success if it is born in the minds of a few and carried in the hearts of none.”

This warning was not heeded by those who were negotiating peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, partly due to the sheer energy, time and mental strain consumed by their intense endeavors in the process. But it was also due to underestimating the fact that it was the people, with their support, who could have carried the negotiators — and this complex gamechanger in the relationship between the two peoples — to the finishing line. Instead, it was the detractors of peace, coexistence and reconciliation who mobilized enough support to drive a wedge between the governments on both sides and the people who wanted peace, instilling in them a fear of the consequences of peace for themselves and their security and safety.

The longer wars persist, the more both sides dehumanize and demonize the character of the entire group that they face

Yossi Mekelberg

 

This is not to say that there was no thriving civil society in support of the Oslo Accords. And following the signing, there emerged people-to-people peacebuilding organizations and initiatives mushroomed. Nevertheless, it was the lack of understanding by governments of how the work of such organizations was crucial in breaking down the barriers between individuals and groups by rehumanizing the other and building trust that was a missing piece in the peacemaking jigsaw puzzle.

The longer wars persist and inflict mutual pain and suffering, the more both sides dehumanize and demonize the character of the entire group that they face and, at least rhetorically, set an objective of causing maximum damage and suffering to each other. Hence, any peacemaking must restore empathy between all involved in the conflict, as well as the ability to actively listen to each other’s narrative and grievances and internalize these on the path to building trust.

Governments are just not geared to that, while grassroots organizations are designed to do exactly that. They also have the passion to create the safe spaces that foster these important traits of empathy, compassion, mutual respect and a sense of justice in order to see the human and humane side of those who we have regarded as our enemies and to learn to trust them.

Ironically, it was before the peace process started and prior to the escalation of hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians during the two intifadas that ordinary Israelis and Palestinians used to daily engage in day-to-day activities in normal settings. However, as a result of the flareup in violence, this unfortunately came to an abrupt halt. Moreover, checkpoints and the separation wall were erected and that is where bad fences and checkpoints created bad neighborly relations.

Peacemaking is still very much the domain of politicians and diplomats, often including the active involvement of generals

Yossi Mekelberg

Palestinians see mainly occupying soldiers and settlers, while Israelis perceive Palestinians as a potential threat — neither sees the other’s humanity. This makes the need for grassroots peacebuilding initiatives even more crucial to create bridges between communities that have stopped talking to each other, to preserve the flame of hope for peace through civilized and frank engagement, and to build friendships and trust.

Most frustrating is that, while grassroots participation in peace processes is internationally recognized as a vehicle to achieving a more inclusive and sustainable peace, peacemaking is still very much preserved as the domain of politicians and diplomats, often including the active involvement of generals. Such groups might be crucial to dealing with issues such as security and the demarcation of borders, but they are typically less competent in handling the psychological-emotional side of a conflict, which is equally or even more important.

There is sometimes an unsubstantiated belief that those who are active in people-to-people peacebuilding are naive — some would even argue simplistic — and fail to understand the complexities of a conflict. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is actually in the difficult, albeit honest, conversations that take place when people are ready to face each other, instead of avoiding one another or shielding themselves behind biases and prejudices to justify the building of physical and mental walls, that the complexities of a conflict are revealed and constructively resolved.

It is these safe spaces that enable those eureka moments, those epiphanies when we realize that what brings us together as human beings is greater, more important and stronger than what divides us as members of national, ethnic or religious groups and enables us instead to stand together united by our humanity.

Take, for instance, the powerful message sent by the more than 600 bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families of the Parents Circle-Families Forum organization when they join forces and work together for peace. They even hold an annual Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day to commemorate those who have paid the ultimate price in this conflict, in recognition that one’s own pain in losing a loved one is no worse than that of the other.

And there is the 30-plus years of dedicated work by Seeds of Peace, which has brought together thousands of young people from conflict zones, many of them from Israel and Palestine, to interact with one another away from home and in a safe space. This allows them to develop trust, respect and empathy, and, most importantly, become lifelong friends and messengers of peace in their communities upon their return.

There are many such organizations, big and small, that cater to different age groups or to those with a particular background or interest. They all have in common the aim of bringing people from all sides of the divide together.

Such encounters, as precious as they are, are never easy or straightforward. On many occasions, they result in a cathartic experience that involves a lot of pain. However, they can be life-changing experiences. Many of those who went through these grassroots peacebuilding activities are in key positions in different walks of life, which enables them to spread the message of peace and reconciliation. But the missing piece of the puzzle is to organize all this stored-up energy and unleash it to dispel the fear, distrust and cynicism that are the enemies of peace.

Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House.
X: @YMekelberg