A Practical Option for Palestinians
In Palestine, the Arab leaders have been fighting for their lost land for a long period. But if we look at it from the perspective of results, we find that all their efforts and sacrifices have been wasted. Not only have they failed to achieve the target of recovering their land, but they have missed out on precious opportunities to make other kinds of progress, thereby incurring immense loss.
The present age is one of globalization. In the agricultural age of ancient times, land was of the utmost importance, but modern communications have now reduced the land to a secondary position. Of prime importance now are the opportunities presenting themselves, thanks to globalization, in equal measure to all. Now, anyone working in a modest office can avail of worldwide opportunities. Given this situation, fighting to acquire a piece of land is anachronistic and can never yield positive results.
The present state of affairs in Palestine is a crisis which benefits neither the Arabs nor the Israelis. It is in their interests to think seriously and, without prejudice, decide to normalize the situation. However, both parties must adopt a realistic approach to the matter. Any unacceptable condition to both sides will be unrealistic and lead to an impasse.
As I understand it, the only practicable solution to this problem is for the Arabs to abandon all kinds of terrorism. This is the first prerequisite. Trying to find a solution without fulfilling this condition is to travel in an imaginary world—on a journey that will never reach its destination. So far as Israel is concerned, it will have to give the Palestinian Arabs (residing in Palestine) the same rights as other residents enjoy under the constitution. If both these points are accepted in principle, a practical settlement can be reached through peaceful negotiation.
There is much talk about giving land for peace. But based on my knowledge and information, I consider this suggestion impracticable. The only workable formula in this context is ‘peace for the sake of peace.’ Its most significant benefit would be that by accepting it, the Arabs could immediately find a starting point for a better future. At the moment, the Palestinian movement is caught in a blind alley, but by accepting this proposal, the deadlock would instantly be broken, and the Arabs would see before them a golden opportunity to begin their journey on the highway of progress by availing the opportunities available to them once peace is established in the region.
On the issue of Palestine, all the Muslim leaders, Arabs and non-Arabs alike, have only one thing to say: Israel should return the land occupied during the war, and only then will the Palestinians stop all violent activities. Acceptance of this proposal is supposed to lead to ‘peace with justice’.
Despite tremendous effort, implementing this proposal has never been possible. The sole reason for the failure of this formula is that it is unrealistic. No unrealistic formula can ever meet with success in this world of realities. This world is based on the eternal laws of nature; only that formula can meet with success, which these laws reinforce.
The truth is that according to the laws of nature, justice is not a part of peace; therefore, bracketing justice with peace may have meaning in terms of human aspirations, but it is a fallacy from the point of view of reality. Once peace is established, justice is not an automatic sequel. It only opens opportunities. And by peacefully availing ourselves of these opportunities, we can achieve justice as well as other desirable things.
The endeavour to accomplish justice commences when we seize these opportunities to cultivate it. The truth is that whenever one receives justice, it is the result of one’s hard work—whether acting as an individual or as a group. Prophet Muhammad provides a clear historical example of this in his method of negotiating the Hudaybiyya peace treaty.
By the grace of God, I have travelled to Palestine three times: in August 1995, in October 1997, and then again in October 2008. These visits allowed me to observe Palestine firsthand. Moreover, I have met many Palestinian Muslims in and outside Delhi and familiarized myself with their situation by reading several authoritative books on Palestine.
In my experience, I can say that the Palestinians are a vibrant people with excellent physical and intellectual potential. This is natural, for they have been brought up in a geographical region that the Quran (17:1) describes as having been ‘blessed’ by the Almighty.
The Palestinians, endowed with exceptional natural qualities, can undertake significant tasks, but tragically, it has not been possible for them to realize their potential. The principal reason for this tragedy is that their leaders have launched them on the path of violence and hatred. They have wrongly come to regard the land they are struggling for as of the most significant importance and are sacrificing their lives to acquire it. They are unaware that the life of a Palestinian is a thousand times more precious than the land they have been making futile efforts to achieve for so long. Had Palestinians been aware of the possibilities of the modern age, they would certainly have availed of the opportunities it offered, not only at the level of Palestine but also at an international level. They would thus have made significant progress.
Peaceful action, by the laws of nature, increases human creativity and is, therefore, at all times and in every way superior to violent action. Those who employ peaceful means for achieving their goals steadily evolve into creative groups. On the contrary, those who opt for the way of hatred and violence perpetually suffer from an erosion of their creativity, and it is almost impossible to compensate for the various kinds of losses resulting from their violence. While success crowns the actions of the creative groups in this world, uncreative groups are destined for every kind of failure. This is an eternal law of nature. There is no exception to it.
