MEPCF Statement on the October 7th Attack on Israel and the Prospect of Saudi-Israeli Normalization
10 October 2023
Introduction
The horrors inflicted by Hamas terrorists upon Israel on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot will go down as one of the darkest days in the history of Israel and the Jewish people. The murderous bloodlust of the attackers, who killed women, men, children and the elderly and dragged dozens of hostages into Gaza, has shaken Israel to the core. The Middle East Peace Civic Forum condemns this attack.
Why did this attack happen now?
The violence happened amidst a context of historic peace talks in recent months between Saudi Arabia and Israel, brokered by the United States. As Israel prosecutes an unprecedented military response on Hamas targets in Gaza, many have concluded that a Saudi-Israeli peace agreement is dead, at least for the foreseeable future.
It is easy to understand this perspective, and logic would dictate that it is likely accurate. That said, Israel and Saudi Arabia have a unique opportunity to turn back the tragic wave of violence overtaking the region and demonstrate real leadership by advancing the cause of peace in the Middle East.
The recent attack, likened to Israel’s own 9/11 and deemed worse than the Yom Kippur war of 1973, demands unqualified condemnation of Hamas and its barbaric attack.
Nevertheless, thoughtful observers must acknowledge that these events did not occur in a vacuum. The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis did not begin on Saturday. The cycle of violence, pain and suffering goes back decades, and the brutality and savageness of the Hamas attack on Israel is part of this tragic and seemingly interminable story. Ultimately, the sides will have to find a way to live together, somehow or other.
The Israeli-Saudi peace talks seemed to be showing remarkable signs of progress in recent weeks, hinting at a potential historic announcement in the near future.
Public reports now suggest that Iran, having trained Hamas with advanced terror tactics, and emboldened it with money and advanced weaponry, evidently green-lighted the attack. This brazen act of terrorism on Israel’s soil may well have been an attempt to torpedo prospects for a Saudi-Israeli peace deal.
We have seen this script before. In the aftermath of the 1993 Oslo Accords, waves of extreme violence killed a fragile peace process before it could bear fruit. Few would be surprised if Hamas’ bloody attack and the heavy price imposed on Gaza in its aftermath ultimately sinks a nascent Saudi-Israeli deal.
Consider, however, that striking such a deal in the near future would be a master stroke for all parties involved: Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. Following the 1973 war, Israel ultimately signed a historic peace deal with Egypt, an agreement that has held to this day.
The Palestinian Component of a Possible Saudi-Israeli Peace Agreement
A key element in the Saudi-Israeli negotiations has been the so-called “Palestinian component” of a potential deal.
The Saudis have expressed their interest in promoting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and protecting the Islamic holy places.
For Israel, normalization with the Kingdom would be a major accomplishment in its own right, as peace with Saudi Arabia would go a long way towards fulfilling Israel’s decades-long aspiration to be accepted as a member of the family of Middle Eastern nations.
Another potential benefit that Israel could request be included in the deal is a powerful statement attesting to the deep historical connection between the Jewish people and the land of Israel. Presumably, a Saudi-Israeli statement on Palestine would also include language acknowledging the deep historical and personal connection to the land that Palestinians also feel.
This mutual and robust acknowledgement of the essential connection to the land experienced by Palestinians and ISraelis alike would create a worthy starting point for an eventual Israeli-Palestinian detente.
A Historic Opportunity for Israel and Saudi Arabia
Imagine, if instead of allowing the current round of violence to kill the prospect of a Saudi-Israeli accord, Israel and Saudi Arabia seize the powerful opportunity of this fraught and painful moment to strike a historic peace deal. This would put the whole enterprise of the modernization of the Middle East back on track and send a powerful rebuke to those who wish to send the region back to medieval times.
To be sure, it is difficult to see possibility in the midst of such unbearable pain and rage. Yet the parties have a choice to respond with wisdom.
Language is a powerful tool of creation, and a Saudi-Israeli declaration of peace (likely cosigned by the United States), can powerfully affirm the deep historical, religious, and cultural roots of both peoples to the land that some call Israel, some call Palestine, and some simply the Holy Land.
A Saudi-Israeli deal can offer both Israelis and Palestinians legitimacy in their quest for a secure homeland in which all people have the right to dignity, peace and security. Critically, all parties must also ultimately embrace the responsibilities that come with these rights. It will not work if each side demands its own rights without simultaneously upholding the rights of the other. This must be a mutual endeavor.
Israelis and Palestinians share this responsibility, and both parties have an equivalent obligation to work through challenges and to embrace the values of peace, equal treatment under the law, security, and human rights. An Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement will not happen immediately, but with sustained effort and the leadership of the international community, it can be accomplished.
The principle of mutuality relating to rights and upholding responsibilities is necessary to end the cycle of violence, suffering and oppression that has gripped these two peoples for many decades. The situation demands committed action on multiple levels by all actors to honor and uphold this principle.
As Israel wants its Arab neighbors to recognize its roots, so too must Israelis acknowledge the deep Palestinian connection to the whole of historic Palestine. Saudi recognition of the Jewish roots in the Holy Land must go hand in hand with Israel’s acknowledgement of the deep historical roots of the Palestinian people to the same piece of land.
Through this peace, Israel and Saudi Arabia have the power to redefine the powerful image of the land from the “river to the sea” as a place near and dear to the hearts of Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Return After 2,000 Years Unique in Human History
The return of the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland after 2,000 years of exile is unprecedented in recorded history, and this requires special consideration. The dream of return has largely defined Jewish life and practice for over a hundred generations. Many people are not aware that Jewish presence in the Holy Land has been essentially continuous over the past two millennia, even as waves of immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries significantly boosted the Jewish presence.
It will be difficult to realize peace unless the Arab world recognizes the Jewish people’s historical ties to the region, and accepts that the modern-day state of Israel is a manifestation of this two-thousand year longing for return.
It has become popular among many of Israel’s enemies to label the Jewish state as a colonial, alien presence in the Middle East. This line of thinking gives many of Israel’s enemies the false idea that uprooting Israel is a feasible objective. Not to mention, the idea that the Jewish people have somewhere else to go back to is a fallacy. When a people has its back to the wall, it has no choice but to fight for its survival. Many of Israel’s neighbors have come to terms with this reality. Peace with Saudi Arabia would represent the single most important example of this acceptance since Egypt signed it’s peace agreement with Israel in 1979.
The centuries-old attempt to discredit the Jewish identity is destined to fail, because it is a lie. To truly understand the Jewish people, one must recognize the ancient, deep-seated ties between the people and the land. Jews have lived in this land nearly continuously dating back thousands of years, as have their Arab neighbors.
In many places throughout the Middle East, the historical memory of Jewish-Muslim coexistence runs deep. Saudi recognition of Israel and the choice to coexist in peace will set the region back on this path and benefit all parties involved.
The Arab world has slowly but surely moved in the direction of acceptance and normalization with Israel. Peace agreements between Israel and the Arab nations of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain and Sudan bear this out.
Saudi recognition of Israel’s place in the region, including the historical ties of the Jewish people to the land of Israel, can serve as a vital step towards providing Israel with the sense of security and legitimacy it desires. Saudi recognition of Israel’s right to exist will create an opening for peace and cooperation in the region, and open the door to mutual recognition by Israelis and Palestinians and a fresh effort to create a reality that works for both peoples.
The impact of a Saudi-Israeli peace deal is difficult to overestimate. This is perhaps the single greatest opportunity today to rekindle hope and transform the Israeli-Palestinian reality in a more peaceful direction.
Redoubled Commitment to Peace, Reconciliation, and Human Rights
As part of their agreement, we call on Israel and Saudi Arabia to establish a joint commission to advance shared interests and support grassroots and official efforts to reduce hostilities and promote positive relations within the Abrahamic family – in the Holy Land and beyond.
The wounds and traumas of the conflict run deep, and the events of this week are making these gravely worse. It will take time and sustained effort to heal this trauma. Today we have a choice: to choose to move in a more peaceful direction, or to reinforce the divisions and prolong the suffering.
Just like the Truth and reconciliation commission in South Africa or the Gacaca process that took place in Rwanda, it is possible for the parties to listen to one another and to share their experiences in a dedicated format designed to promote healing and reconciliation.
Conclusion
Yitzhak Rabin said, “You don’t make peace with friends. You make it with very unsavory enemies.” And it was Abraham Lincoln who said, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”
The weight of eternal history and its judgements are watching the decision makers leading their people through these dark days. Will the parties blindly repeat the patterns that brought us to this place? Or will we collectively learn from experience and transcend these painful times?
The United States and Saudi Arabia possess the cache to bring to bear a new vision for Israeli and Palestinians. Each has an opportunity to stand for accountability, rights and responsibilities.
Ultimately, the status quo has become untenable. If there is one thing Palestinians and Israelis agree on, it is the unworkability and unsustainability of the current situation.
For Israel, the choice to make peace with the Saudis is a clear demonstration that they can be a willing partner for peace. An Israeli-Saudi peace deal would forever alter the landscape in the Middle East for the better. By reaching an agreement, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States will become guarantors of peace, and contributors to a new and prosperous reality in the region.
The world and history are watching.