Give Peace A Chance

The Flowering of Peace?

It seems almost surreal to be writing it, but as of this publication there is a ceasefire currently holding between Israel and Hamas. This is the third ceasefire since October 7th 2023, but it does feel the most significant step towards peace in years. All of the remaining living Israeli hostages (20), and over two dozen deceased have been freed. About 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, many held without charge, have also been freed. The bombs have stopped dropping, and humanitarian Aid is finally, finally making it into the Gaza strip after months of a horrific st​arvation campaign by Israel.

For months it felt nearly impossible to imagine that anything could in stop Israel's unrelenting bombardment, and slow extermination of those living in Gaza. Political leaders across the globe seemed generally unwilling or incapable of action while we were watching death and destruction streamed daily, live across the world. A ceasefire, or even long-term peace won’t bring back the many tens of thousands dead, the cities destroyed or the land despoiled. It will be a multi-generation process in the best circumstances to recover and rebuild, and the Palestinian people almost certainly won’t be given the best of circumstances. The clock doesn’t reset, the ghosts of the past still haunt us into the future.

Even so, every day, every hour that the bombs are not falling, that the Israeli troops have withdrawn, and that prisoners have been released and are reuniting with their loved ones, is a minor miracle and a cause for celebration.

The chance for peace is always tenuous amidst violence, but it must be seized, cherished, and cultivated. Building upon this peace does not mean, however, we trust the intentions or the goodwill of the individuals that have brokered this deal. Neither Donald Trump nor Benjamin Netanyahu nor any of the surrounding Arab states’ leaders have shown any degree of compassion or care for the Palestinian people. In fact, all indications, from words to deeds are that it is in spite of, not because of them, that a ceasefire has finally been reached. The heroic, tireless efforts of activists and everyday people, from the halls of the UN and the ICC, to the streets, to the open seas all combined to create an increasingly untenable environment for this slaughter, which even monsters like Trump and Netenyahu had to pay attention to.

Now we must protect and grow this seed of peace. It will be challenging, we can already see signs of trouble on the horizon, with Netenyahu skipping the ceasefire summit, and the Palestinian people being shut out of the process altogether. It is up to us to make sure that the path to peace is pursued genuinely, and with patience, where all people’s in the region have a seat at the table determining their future. It would be a tragic loss if these peace deals are written simply with more Colonial-rule logic.

Such a treaty won’t bring an end to the cycle of violence, pain, and oppression experienced by the Palestinians and by the Israelis. It will just be one more short-lived ceasefire amidst unending conflict in the Middle East. We need a logic that can look beyond the myopia of the ruling class, which can only see people and land with dollars and cents, and instead recognize the opportunity to build greater Humanity from this horror. To make sure that the pain, and suffering inflicted is not the mark of some downward spiral but a new call to truly say Never Again! So, join us each Tuesday and growing solidarity as we work to make this fragile peace a new, long chapter. It may seem impossible to believe, and the road to get there is long, but peace, like the future, is built one day at a time. So, join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity as we celebrate peace, however long we can make it last!

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