Israelis need to listen to Ron Lauder

Against a backdrop of continuous bombing, political assassinations and endless civilian casualties, it is hard for voices of reason and moderation in this region to break through the clutter and rhetoric of mutual incitement. Sadly, with the way the current Israeli government continues to wage its war, there will be more of the latter and less of the former.

I have repeatedly warned in this column that the indiscriminate killing of civilians will lead only to renewed violence and is the perfect fertilizer for Hamas 2.0, no matter how many of its leaders the Israeli army manages to kill. It should go without saying that civilians on both sides need to be spared killing and kidnapping, and kept out of harm’s way.

Interestingly, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday, the drone strike in south Beirut on Tuesday that killed senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, and the attack in south Lebanon early in July that killed Hezbollah unit commander Mohammed Nasser, all illustrate clearly that Israel has the intelligence, advanced technology and military capability to avoid mass civilian casualties. One therefore has to wonder why it has felt the need to reduce most of Gaza to rubble, to kill nearly 40,000 Palestinians there (most of them women and children) and to displace about 1.7 million, several of them numerous times.

Israelis may say that none of this would have happened if not for the atrocious events of Oct. 7, or if Hamas chose to surrender, return the Israeli hostages they hold, and prioritize the safety of their own people. That is an understandable argument. However, it ignores outrageous statements made not by the average Israeli on the street, but by elected and serving Israeli officials. For example, two days after the war began last October, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called for Palestinians in Gaza to be denied electricity, food, water and fuel: “We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.” For his part, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, asked a month later if he proposed dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza, replied: “That’s one way ... they’re not scared of death.” And in December, military spokesman Daniel Hagari explained why Israel had already dropped thousands of tonnes of munitions on Gaza: “Right now we’re focused on what causes maximum damage.”

The world needs to hear what Lauder wrote: “Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve the chance to live and dream of a peaceful and prosperous future for their children. We cannot let terrorism and the threat to a nation’s existence dictate our future”

Faisal J. Abbas

Such statements are outrageous since they come from people in positions of power and authority in Israel, which repeatedly says that it has the most ethical army in the world. Sadly, during times of war such rhetoric is commended, not criticized, by an emotional public. It is also understandable, given what happened on Oct. 7, that many ordinary Israelis are in no mood for peace either. A decade ago, more than 60 percent supported a two-state solution: the most recent Gallup survey in December suggested that this has been reversed, and 65 percent of Israelis now oppose the existence of an independent Palestinian state.

However, as Arabs and Muslims, we should also remember that not all Jews are aligned with the views of extremist Israeli ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, just as not all Arabs were aligned with the views of Osama bin Laden, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi  and other terrorists.

The proof of the pudding, they say, is in the eating, and there is no better example than the column published in Arab News on Monday by Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress. Lauder wrote that he firmly believed empowering those who advocate peace was crucial, that we must establish a clear path forward, and that the two-state solution was the only viable long-term option.

Such a conciliatory tone may be out of tune with the warmongering and hate speech that gains more traction on social media, but that is exactly what leadership is about: leaders should rise above the divisions and the seduction of populism, and say what needs to be said.

I doubt that anyone could accuse the president of the World Jewish Congress of being antisemitic. And when Lauder wrote: “Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve the chance to live and dream of a peaceful and prosperous future for their children. We cannot let terrorism and the threat to a nation’s existence dictate our future,” it was exactly what the world needed to hear.

It should go without saying that civilians on both sides need to be spared killing and kidnapping, and kept out of harm’s way.

Faisal J. Abbas

Fortunately, Lauder is not alone: Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy, Arab News columnist and academic Yossi Mekelberg, and the multiple Pulitzer prizewinning New York Times writer Thomas Friedman — all proud Jews — share his views. Friedman in particular has long warned Benjamin Netanyahu about the dangers of climbing a tree from which he won’t be able to come down. His column in April entitled “Israel has a choice to make: Riyadh or Rafah” was a masterpiece, the epitome of political wisdom and strategic advice.

Of course, the Israeli prime minister may still feel comfortable up that tree, especially after the series of standing ovations that greeted his address this month to a joint session of the US Congress — albeit, for context, during a highly charged and politicized election year. But he ought to remember that he would have had the whole world applauding him had he chosen Riyadh, not Rafah.

• Faisal J. Abbas is the editor-in-chief of Arab News. 

X: @FaisalJAbbas