On October 7, 2023, a new momentous chapter occurred in the history of violent encounters between Israelis and Palestinians when the most devastating war in the history of these two peoples was launched.
Now, almost a year after that horrible day, too many thousands of people have lost their lives on both sides. The Gaza Strip has been destroyed, most of its inhabitants have become refugees again, there are now around two million Gazans homeless. Tens of thousands of Israelis have also been left homeless, forced to leave their homes destroyed and burned.
We did not know each other in the past, when we both held official positions serving our people. Our professional paths did not cross and did not lead us to work together, until now.
In our common quest to find a partner on the other side of the conflict, we have decided to work together, with mutual respect, and with the goal of finding progress toward ending the war in Gaza and thus beginning renewed negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. with the aspiration of reaching an agreement that definitively puts an end to the violent conflict between our two peoples.
We know that this will lead to the creation of a front, composed of moderate states in the region, including Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries, together with the State of Israel and the State of Palestine, making our entire region more stable, more safe and more prosperous for all its peoples.
In our societies, Israeli and Palestinian, there is a great propensity to destroy any politician who deviates from the comfortable consensus, through the most extreme forms of criticism and ridicule. In times of war, consensus coalesces around the flag and any deviation from absolute support for the war effort is equated with no less than treason.
The suggestion of a radical change of course is considered a capitulation or a concession of victory to the opposing side. But the true test for leaders is not following public opinion, guiding their words by surveys of this opinion, but rather determining the best strategic path for their nation’s future and presenting it boldly and without fear.
We, two former leaders who have faithfully served our people for decades, have come together through a shared vision and with a proposal that challenges our tragic reality. These have the potential to change our nations, our region and indeed the entire world.
Let’s start with the most basic. The war in Gaza must end. Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas must be freed and returned to their families. Israel, for its part, will have to release an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners and will have to withdraw from Gaza.
The Palestinians must create a new, legitimate and responsible entity there, which will not be composed of politicians from any of the existing Palestinian factions and will be organically linked to the Palestinian Authority, but will be independent enough to gain the acceptance of the Palestinians themselves. , the neighboring Arab States and the international community.
The next phase of our plan outlines the components of what would make for a sustainable, long-term Israeli-Palestinian peace. It must be based on the existence of the States of Israel and Palestine, living side by side, within the borders of June 4, 1967.
We agree that 4.4% of the West Bank, where the main Israeli settlement blocs currently exist, including the Jerusalem area, will be annexed to Israel in exchange for Israeli territory of equal size and that will be annexed to the State of Palestine to adapt to the realities of the terrain that are too difficult to restore.
The heart of our conflict is Jerusalem, for which we propose a plan that exempts the old city of Jerusalem, the center of religious sites, from the exclusive sovereign control of Israel and Palestine. Although we have addressed all the core issues, this is not a complete plan with all its details. We have agreed on the contours within which genuine peace between Israelis and Palestinians must be based. In the not-too-distant future, a new generation of leaders from both peoples will have the task of negotiating and transforming this vision into a reality.
As part of our commitment, we are now investing our effort and time in generating support for our proposal from the Israeli and Palestinian people, through those who influence public opinion, and through political leaders in the region and beyond. her.
We are presenting the inevitable truth, that this conflict must be resolved through diplomatic means so that we can create a course for a different tomorrow. We are working tirelessly to explain our plans and garner as much public support as possible. In our opinion, this is not just a document, but a living vision of a different future for Israel, Palestine and the world.
In a period of such terrifying darkness, we have chosen to shine a light of hope and point out the path our two peoples must take.