The Sylvan Middle East peace debate considered the following motion:
This house still holds hope for peace in the Middle East.
The debate took place on Monday 4th November. Lissi Corfield proposed the motion and Peter Hulme Cross opposed it.
The proposition arguing for continued hope of peace in the Middle East
The proposer referenced strong feelings in the hope for peace. Hope represents ‘something you want will happen’. Peace means no war or violence, though this does not require perfection. A lack of organised hostilities for some time. We have seen violence on both sides of this conflict. A map doesn’t comprise the lines we draw, as birds fly over the territory. The Israelis and Palestinians both believe they have a legitimate claim, yet both sides featured terrorists. Fault lines abound, Shia and Sunni Muslims and a divided Israeli public. Seven million Jews and seven million Palestinians. No one historical view can solve the issue – a unique situation but not unparalleled.
The proposer continued
Yet we have the healing power of time. Recall the 100 Years’ War between the French and the English. It finished by a compromise truce that ended up lasting. South Africa faced segregation, terrorism and organised hostilities, and Mrs Thatcher called them terrorists. Yet Nelson Mandela negotiated from prison and became president. We need influence from outside countries. I’m not giving a prescription for peace, but the large powers could force a change. Or it could come from internal factors, such as individual leaders. A local orchestra with Arabs and Jews has played for 20 years together. A released hostage shook hands with her captor. There is hope for peace, despite perpetual conflict. We can’t say when, but I have a deep conviction for peace.
The opposition against the Middle East peace debate motion
The opposer pointed out that both sides have fanatics. Both want peace but on their terms. After the 1973 Yom Kippur war, various peace efforts were derailed by assassinations from fanatics. Anwar Sadat by an Islamic jihadi and Yitzhak Rabin by an Orthodox Jewish student. The Oslo Accords ended in failure at Camp David in 2000. In 2005 Israel withdrew from Gaza and in 2006 Hamas won the election over Fatah, and they kicked Fatah out in 2007. Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers went to the West Bank, illegal under international law. As a result the West Bank cannot be an autonomous state.
The opposer continued
Most Israelis want democracy, yet Netanyahu’s coalition includes extreme right elements. The 7th October despicable Hamas attack led a panicked Israel to a massive response, and shifted opinion in Israel to anti-Arab. Again, fanatics on both sides. Israel will not let go of the Western Wall and East Jerusalem.
Floor speeches from the audience of the Middle East peace debate
Floor speeches ranged across many facets of the topic. Jews have faced more persecution than any other people, from the Romans, all the other empires and Nazi Germany. Victims still today of hate crimes. Hamas came to kill Jews in a depraved attack, with decapitation and rapes. They want to remove Israel and it will happen again. Israel had an influx of Jews due to Nazi Germany. There is enough of a chance to have hope, it’s not the same as a certainty. Both sides have radicals and moderates. Netanyahu has lost popularity and will have to exit. Israel will destroy Hamas and moderates will take charge on both sides. The broader trajectory in the Middle East is heading towards peace.
Floor speeches continued
Trauma passes down generations. I believed Mandela was a terrorist due to the UK government position. Does cancer affect the whole body or can you excise it? You make peace with your enemies, not with your friends. If we don’t wish for peace, it won’t happen. Colonialism forced people into nations without shared cultural identity. Hamas’s heinous crimes do not justify Israel’s attacks. We killed tens of thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan, then we left. What exchange rate exists for Palestinian lives for Israelis? 10,000 killed versus 1,500. A Jewish child faced beating in my school in London. We have to hold hope, improbable things can happen.
Floor speeches continued
Injustice, an excruciating feeling. Peace includes peace of mind, via justice. We need supranational justice from the UN, it needs to fulfil its purpose. Hopelessness leads to despair. Sykes and Picot drew lines without thinking about people, the Kurds unaccounted for. The British and French have much to answer for. Europe had the most violence and yet peace reigns. 46% of US Jews face anti-Semitism. Yet 70-80% of Palestinians oppose Hamas. People condemn Hamas but not Israel, yet an Apartheid state. Who wouldn’t become radicalised in Gaza? More kids died in four weeks than in the last four years of other conflicts. We need a power broker, yet those countries peddle arms. We should demand an immediate ceasefire.
The opposer’s rebuttal
In rebuttal, the opposer reminded of this episode’s part in a 75 year war. Palestinians view the Israeli state as a catastrophe; the Jews, in a state of euphoria. At the founding of Jerusalem, the city needed water. A tunnel was dug to the Gihon spring, which follows a zig zag course, but eventually connected. We don’t know how the conflict will end. With fanatics on both sides, I don’t see it happening. Things do happen over time, and I hope eventually they will come together.
The proposer’s closing speech
In closing, the proposer pointed out that the Gihon tunnel reminds us of human ingenuity. Even the length of Jewish persecution doesn’t mean you cannot have hope. Apartheid and the ‘terrorist’ problem there was said to be tougher to solve than the Middle East, yet we now have peace in South Africa. The deaths have to be foremost in mind, and a ceasefire, yes. The UK war in Iraq left 100,000 dead. Speakers have shared wonderful ideas about what could go right. This debate matters, we can help by boycotting and pressuring the government. No hope leads to despair. Hope matters and we should look to positive action.
Result: the Middle East peace debate motion carried
In the final vote, the Sylvans concluded through the debate that they do have hope for peace in the Middle East.
See information on other Sylvan debates here.