The recent renewal of the vicious cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine, once again, has shown that civilians are the ones who primarily shoulder the brunt of war with their lives, livelihoods, and human dignity. This ongoing conflict, like so many others across the globe, is the direct result of the failure of the international community to develop just and sustainable peaceful resolutions.
Peace, whether in the Middle East or anywhere else, is not a mere lofty dream; it is not just the absence of conflict but an active, relentless pursuit for positive peace so that structural injustices can be addressed. It requires courage, resilience, and a tireless belief that our common humanity must and will prevail. This work is not easy, and history has shown us that it is always darkest before the dawn, but we must persevere in our unwavering pursuit of peace during these very dark days.
As someone who has committed his entire career to peace and conflict resolution, I condemn all acts of violence against civilians in Israel and Gaza. Violence has never been a solution to any conflict. Instead, we must all continue to actively support all initiatives of conflict resolution that aim to bring about lasting peace to the region. Our children and future generations depend on us.
The great mystic poet Rumi reminded us, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”
Alpaslan Özerdem, Dean of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution