The courage of the UN chief António Guterres is commendable; it is the courage of the truth and the voice of reason in times of madness (“UN chief denounces ‘clear violations’ of international law in Gaza conflict”, Report, October 25). It is never too late to do the right thing and stop this war. Innocent civilians are paying the price for the incompetence of world leaders in failing to prevent the massacre.
A number of those world leaders are flocking to Jerusalem, the city of peace, in support of this war. This is a colossal mistake. Violence is never a solution and only leads to more violence. The implications of what they are calling for is too shameful to elucidate.
Innocent civilians in Gaza have no say in this. What exactly do the states that voted in the UN against stopping the war propose to do? Starting that war was wrong and the call for its continuation, by many western leaders primarily, only serves the agenda of the extremists that started it and those who wish it to continue. These states voted at the UN on Friday against the wishes of their friends in the region who continue to seek peace.
This goes far beyond the cliché of double standards, particularly in view of their policy in Ukraine. It is the wrong policy against their very own interests. They cannot counter an aberration by committing a worse one and history will judge all of them harshly if they yet again fail to stop this brutal assault on Gaza and innocent Palestinians. War is a gift to extremists and warmongers on both sides and only serves them. We are leaving our fate in their hands and weakening the forces of moderation.
A two-state solution is the only option; many world leaders talk about it but do not take any concrete action in its direction. Much of what Israel does with the continuous building of settlements makes this solution harder to achieve without offering a viable alternative. It has been 32 years since the Madrid peace conference and 30 years since the Oslo declaration of principles. Time is not on the side of peace and justice.
The elements for a solution are present in the Arab peace initiative of 2002 that was endorsed by all members of the Arab League and of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. It offers a comprehensive peace with Israel. This is priceless, yet Israel continues to underestimate the benefits of peace with the Palestinians and the greater Arab and Islamic world. What is needed is the moral courage and the goodwill to implement it. There is no peace without justice for the Palestinians and they are not going to disappear or go away. Neither walls nor blockades are of any use. Periodic patching up with half-baked measures is not a viable policy and leads to where we are now.
Stop the war today and let’s all begin with real and concrete steps towards a comprehensive, viable and lasting peace.
Fouad Siniora
Former Prime Minister of Lebanon, 2005 to 2009; Former Chairman, Future Movement parliamentary bloc, 2009 — 2018, Beirut, Lebanon
Letter in response to this letter:
‘Aberration’ is the wrong word, it was Hamas policy / From David Weissman, New York, NY, US