The Berlin Initiative
For a Diplomatic Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”
The long-lasting Israeli-Palestinian conflict has dramatically escalated since October 7th, 2023. The Hamas massacre and the Israeli retaliation became part of the ongoing saga of victimhood, and is threatening to bring back the Israelis and the Palestinians to square one, even before Madrid and Oslo. The world is now divided between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian camps, instead of doing the utmost in order to bring Israel and the PLO back to the negotiating table. It is difficult to observe and recognize now, on either side, initiatives that would put a diplomatic peaceful alternative for the conflict. Previous such initiatives have been rejected and degraded by hardliners on the two sides while new initiatives are blocked, as the initiators of such alternatives could face harsh personal risks. Israel and Palestine consequently find themselves in a situation where there is absence of diplomatic alternatives, open constant dialogues, or free public debates on their most important political issue, which can lead to an even more dangerous situation with high and wide-reaching risks for their societies.
Once one goes over the history of peace in our world, it is obvious that especially in these moments of fragmentation and violence, it is utterly vital to present diplomatic peaceful alternatives to the continuation and escalation of the conflict. Even, if at first sight, the chances of success of such alternatives look small, those alternatives must publicly exist and be strengthened. It is a principal that Israelis and Palestinians will always know and be certain that there are -at all times - those countries, institutions and individuals who understand the suffering of both sides and are campaigning and offering peaceful alternatives for the conflict.
There is a wide understanding and belief that this conflict, like many other serious conflicts around the world, and like it has happened many times in previous years in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will ultimately end up in some sort of an agreement that will bring remedy and calm. It is for this reason that it is wise to start as early as possible to present the alternatives that can influence such an agreement with the hope that one day soon it would be possible to adopt a peaceful alternative to the conflict. The ultimate goal is therefore to enable such alternatives for the sake of all Israeli and Palestinian people, even including those who are currently against such alternatives.
It is now the time to search and reach for successful models that can halt the deterioration of the conflict and contribute to its peaceful de-escalation. The international community should therefore look for and support those initiatives that can de-escalate the conflict and offer a viable solution, in order to spare the world further horrors. The Berlin Initiative will therefore bring together senior politicians, diplomats, academics and other stakeholders from the PLO (Palestine), Israel, USA, Europe, the Arab Countries and other parts of the world in order to create advanced insights and to forge new alliances to support the de-escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
