黑料社区

The world is mad. That is what we have all been saying to ourselves and to others for a few years now, to the point that we perhaps do not understand anymore quite what it is that we mean. What madness means by one definition is 鈥渄oing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,鈥� as civil rights campaigner Rita Mae Brown (not Albert Einstein, as commonly claimed) wrote. The most tragic and damning example is the seemingly endless cycle of war and reconstruction that Israelis have imposed on Gaza. It has never made sense to me to seek peace through war. If the objective is to enter into peace negotiations, then would it not make eminent sense to launch such negotiations before resorting to war and destruction?

More than 65,000 innocent Gazan civilians have been killed over the last two years of Israel鈥檚 war, with most of Gaza鈥檚 infrastructure, homes, hospitals and schools destroyed. An entire people and their livelihoods have been crushed, yet those Gazans who did not perish under the bombs will eventually rebuild their homes and rebuild their lives insofar as they can. This brings us back to the painful interrogation as to why today鈥檚 shuttle diplomacy could not have taken place two years ago. Some of us seem set on repeating an endless cycle of violence instead of trying to reason, to talk and to honor peace.

Jane Goodall, who passed away last week, devoted her life to understanding our closest cousins, the chimpanzees, and subsequently worked tirelessly to protect them from the destructive dominion of humankind. She single-handedly showed us not only that other species and the ecosystems they live in deserve our attention, but that it is well within our means to protect them and to coexist peacefully with other species, even with nature as a whole. If one woman can achieve this, how have we other humans still not been able to end the foolish cycles of war, destruction and reconstruction in favor of respect, understanding, compromise and peace?

黑料社区 and other Gulf countries have become an important collective force for peace, progress and understanding

Hassan bin Youssef Yassin

There are other figures, such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, who also devoted their lives to showing us that peace and the common good lie in tolerance, understanding and mutual respect. In 黑料社区, too, centuries of tribal disputes came to an end when one man, King Abdulaziz, chose quite unusually to apply kindness and magnanimity to his adversaries, thereby establishing a new country, which has not ceased to rise to ever greater heights since.

黑料社区 and other Gulf countries have become an important collective force for peace, progress and understanding in the Middle East. Our economies and societies are evolving through judicious choices and the wisdom of our leadership, who are also taking bold steps to bridge divides and work toward a more harmonious and peaceful Middle East. While Gulf countries have been constructing in every sense of the word, Israel remains hell-bent on destroying. We want the heartbreaking destruction wreaked upon Gaza these past two years to be the very last of its sort.

When Israeli leaders get angry, they choose to kill and to destroy, making it almost impossible for Gazans to exist on a daily basis. They humiliated the latest Gaza flotilla in a disturbingly similar approach to their mistreatment of activists whose only cause was peace and the dignity of others. What is the purpose of constantly destroying, only to rebuild, and repeating this without end? Peaceful coexistence clearly means not resorting to war. That means, if you want peace, don鈥檛 go to war. Period.

It is time for humanity to finally absorb this very simple lesson. If it means that we avoid years of war, destruction and needless deaths, why can some people not bring themselves to recognize the common humanity and dignity in other people and recognize that they also deserve respect, thereby allowing for compromises that resolve conflicts peacefully?

There are no people on Earth who would not rather live in peace, understanding and acceptance instead of being constantly at war

Hassan bin Youssef Yassin

Israel used to have a significant peace camp. We may not hear much from them anymore, but there is no doubt that there are still Israelis who would like to make peace. There are no people on Earth who would not rather live in peace, understanding and acceptance instead of being constantly at war. By addressing Israelis, by inviting Israeli activists, academics and analysts, but also ordinary Israelis, to enter into a relationship and open conversations, we can revive that spirit in the Israeli public, I am sure. Just by recognizing that peace and mutual respect are possible, we can break this tragic cycle of violence. Every tiny step toward a little more understanding is a step toward peace.

There is an opening today for us to take further steps toward peace. President Donald Trump holds the key to restraining today鈥檚 Israeli leaders and putting meaningful pressure on them, in the hope that they finally become honest participants in peace.

There is simply no way round mutual respect and a two-state solution if we are to avoid endlessly repeating this deadly cycle of violence and destruction. Let us put all our energies into building peace, by emphasizing the concepts of compromise and open talks rather than lashing out in violence.

The Middle East has evolved a great deal in recent years, becoming a stronger participant in the world economy, in technological progress and in the necessary environmental revolution. Let us also show the way in the Middle East by proving that it is possible to achieve peace through compromise and understanding. Regular cultural, social and economic relationships between all peoples who call the Middle East their home are essential to build the connections and understanding that we call peaceful coexistence. Let us try peace. And let us make it permanent.

• Hassan bin Youssef Yassin worked closely with Saudi petroleum ministers Abdullah Tariki and Ahmed Zaki Yamani from 1959 to 1967. He headed the Saudi Information Of铿乧e in Washington from 1972 to 1981 and served with the Arab League observer delegation to the UN from 1981 to 1983.