After the Ceasefire, How Do You Keep the Peace?

I share the collective, global sense of relief as a hostage exchange and withdrawal plan in Gaza has been agreed between Israel and Hamas. I hope it means that further bloodshed has been stopped – for now. The remaining, surviving hostages will be reunited with their families. Prisoners will be released. And the people of Gaza, who have been suffering through total devastation, will know for the first time in 15 months that there isn’t an immediate, violent threat to their lives.

Looking back at this conflict, no one should hold their breath. This is a fragile deal, and it doesn’t answer the question, “What lies ahead for Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs?” The wounds are deep and fresh. The physical and emotional scars will be visible for decades to come.

Israeli families mourn those who were brutally murdered on October 7, 2023. Many fear there will never be a safe future. Palestinians are in agony over the loss of their loved ones, the destruction of their homes, the erasure of their communities. With so much suffering and pain, there appears to be little common ground, little space for dialogue, let alone for any form of reconciliation. The division is real and palpable. Even without battle, the lines have been drawn. I can think of few moments in living memory as transient and delicate as this one. Can Palestinians and Israelis rise above and start something new? Can their allies?

I’ve often said you cannot scale a mountain facing backward. To begin with, both sides need to agree on a shared itinerary – and a shared destination. The continuous pileup of historical grievances, the back-and forth-of accusations, insinuations, and sinister tropes all need to end. Instead, Israelis and Palestinians must embrace the complexity and interconnectedness of their journeys past and present and set out to chart a new and more positive course for the future.

Some of that work has already been done. A few months ago, I wrote about a remarkable movement called A Land for All (ALFA) – Two States, One Homeland. Fueled by true frustration with an unsustainable status quo, ALFA was built over many years by a brave collective of people on all sides – Jews, Muslims, and Christians, Israelis and Palestinians. And at this critical moment in time, ALFA’s unique proposition may be more relevant than ever.

At its heart, it is a bold and hopeful vision that would enable both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs not simply to co-exist, but to flourish and prosper on a common understanding of the ground beneath their feet – their shared sense of a homeland, whether you call it Israel, or whether you call it Palestine.

More specifically, ALFA entails a two-state solution rooted in the belief that there should rightfully be a Palestinian State and that there should rightfully continue to be a State of Israel. But this is where ALFA offers a brave new premise: interdependency and a shared future. Its architects know that only partnership, as well as personal and collective equality, will bring a safer and better life for all.

And so the idea also entails a commitment to freedom of movement and, ultimately, residence for Palestinians and Israelis: Israeli-Jewish settlers would be able to remain inside a Palestinian state and become permanent residents of that state while accepting Palestinian sovereignty and remaining Israeli citizens. Palestinian refugees could return, become citizens of Palestine, but would also be able to become permanent residents of the State of Israel. At the same time, the citizens of both states would enjoy equal rights, with shared institutions to address issues of mutual concern, from resource management to climate change. Jerusalem would become the capital of both states, open to all, and jointly administered.

ALFA is not wishful thinking. It’s a two-state solution that can be achieved. One that is rooted in reality, in values, and co-created by experts on both sides. Decades ago, the architects of European integration must have felt the same way. After two world wars and so much division, resentment, and distrust between European powers, they set out to build a unified Europe, a multigenerational project that showed that what unites them is stronger than what divides them. And it worked. Their vision produced the longest period of prosperity and peace Europe has ever seen.

As the weapons fall silent in Gaza, joining up, as inconceivable as it may sound at this very moment, is still the best hope for Israelis and Palestinians to create a livable future for themselves, and for their children and grandchildren.