The following open letter has been submitted to the Sunday Observer newspaper in London:

Sir,

It is with grave concern that we note the continued failure of both the British government and the opposition to endorse a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Real long-term issues are still not being adequately addressed; nor would a temporary ceasefire achieve anything if there is the prospect of more war to follow.

Temporary ceasefires perpetuate the misery of the Palestinians because by definition they end with a return to war and they do little to restore Israel’s security. What is needed instead is a permanent ceasefire and stronger, forceful and unequivocal backing of a two-state solution by the international community. In an ideal world, the British Government should back its tacit support for a two-state solution with the recognition of Palestine as a state, even before Palestine attains full recognition by Israel.

We are deeply concerned by Premier Netanyahu’s refusal to countenance a Palestinian state after Israel ends its offensive in Gaza. His assertion that Israel’s military will have permanent hegemony over all the territory west of the Jordan River undermines efforts for lasting peace.

Similarly, Premier Netanyahu’s suggestion that a large buffer zone be carved from the already confined land area of Gaza, with continuing Israeli security control following the end of conflict, seems inevitably to be a recipe for continued strife and unrest at a time when creating an atmosphere offering new hope, opportunity and dignity for all must be a paramount concern.

Of course, a one-state solution as envisioned by Jewish philosopher, Martin Buber, who strove mightily for peace between the people of Israel and Palestine, a state with equal rights and equal treatment for all its citizens, would be wholly fine. But Premier Netanyahu’s statements make it patently clear that this is not what he has in mind when he talks of a single state. Any context in which a single state is created from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea that does not give voting rights to Palestinians is tantamount to creating an apartheid state; a morally indefensible solution and also completely unsustainable as that would lead to further violence in perpetuity.

A two-state solution is the only honourable conclusion to this crisis, a crisis that has lasted all of our lifetimes. Such a solution can create lasting peace in the region and retain some dignity for both the Palestinians and the Israelis after this astonishingly horrific war has come to an end.

Yours sincerely,

William Morris LL.D.

Secretary General, The Next Century Foundation, Angwinack, Ludgvan, Penzance TR20 8BN

Image above by Save_Palestine from Pixabay