THE ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict could dangerously drag on as, unlike before, new factors have come into play that could prevent a de-escalation or a ceasefire.

There is a new element in Israel – the ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are now a powerful force and lobby to contend with and have the backing of the Israeli leadership, which has now moved very much to the right under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

These Jews have begun targeting the Israeli Arabs in mixed Arab/Jewish areas and this has led to sporadic violence resembling a minor civil war.

The Israeli Arabs have long coexisted with the Jews and have sought equal democratic partnership in Israel and be assimilated in the long run, which could give real hopes of the Israelis and Palestinians living side by side under a two-state solution to this long-festering Middle East conflict.

All these hopes have been jeopardised by the intransigence of this sect, who is more militant and extremist.

Recently, 44 members of this group were killed in a stampede during a religious gathering, a situation unheard of in Israel or, for that matter, among the Jews anywhere in the world.

This has drawn attention worldwide about this group and the attacks on Israeli Arabs are sure to put them in a negative light.

The Israeli government is hard-pressed to control this group as it is a sensitive religious issue that could spin out of control, and the government has to bear with them.

The Israeli government is weak and unstable as four elections in the last two years have not produced a majority government, but more of a stalemate.

The violence in the Middle East could continue indefinitely as all world leaders are pre-occupied with the Covid-19 pandemic and its devastating socioeconomic and political consequences.

The Middle East Quartet, comprising the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, has been dormant for long, without any initiative to resolve the crisis.

New developments concerning the Quartet have occurred with the US/EU relations with Russia being strained by the Ukrainian issue, and Britain has exited from the EU.

The main hope is that US President Joe Biden will give the evasive peace process a renewed effort and endeavour as his new administration is being looked upon as being even-handed to both sides of the conflict.

The Biden administration has an asset in former presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, a Jew himself, who has been vocal about the need for the US to be fair and equitable in its peace-brokering process between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Sanders could be made the Middle East peace envoy to bring about an agreement between the opposing sides.

Americans are supportive of Sanders, as was judged by his support in the two presidential primaries of the Democratic Party.

The Arabs, too, look favourably towards him for his neutral stance.

The main reason why previous peace initiatives faltered is because they are very much unfair and lopsided, which neither side could accept.

It cannot be denied that Israel has to give more to make any peace agreement equitable and acceptable to the Palestinians.

Israel cannot be intransigent to the point that it does not want peace and instead prefer an unending conflict and strife in the neighbourhood.

Israel needs to take note that it is fast losing friends the world over as nations that supported it during the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973 are  now remaining neutral or are calling for an end to the hostilities and violence. Even Turkey, which was friendly, is now openly hostile to Israel.

Large-scale demonstrations have taken place in Europe criticising Israel.

The Palestinians, too, need to face reality as their cause is becoming a forgotten one in the Arab world as well as among other Islamic countries as they have their own domestic problems to grapple with.

Recently, four nations – the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Bahrain and Morocco – normalised relations with Israel during the Donald Trump presidency.

The Palestinians are divided and the two factions in Gaza and the West Bank are very much opposed to each other, thus, making any peace initiatives hopeless of finding success.

When peace treaties were signed between Israel and Egypt, followed by Jordan, there was much hope that a peace accord with the Palestinians could be next.

Looking back, it appears that there was a better chance of this happening before the demise of Palestine Liberation Organisation leader Yasser Arafat.

Expectations were high during the Barack Obama administration that a solution could be found between the Israelis and Palestinians, but the Arab Spring, the rise of the Islamic State and the Syrian and Libyan civil wars put paid to such hopes.

The Trump presidency had made the situation worse as his open support for Israel’s belligerence and moving the US embassy to Jerusalem have heightened tensions.

Israel needs to feel that it is more secure now than decades before as peace with Egypt and Jordan has created friendly neighbours, and the Syrian civil war has debilitated Syria to the point that it is now defenceless.

The northern border with Lebanon is mostly quiet as the Hezbollah militia controls the area, unlike the fluid situation during the 1970s to the 1990s.

Israel gained a lot of diplomatic recognition and friends, such as China and India, after the peace accords, and this shows that there is a lot to gain by having more friends than foes.

Israel’s primary problem now is with the Palestinians and it has to resolve this dilemma with a give-and-take attitude as nothing guarantees the security and well-being of Israel in the long term than peace on its borders.

Both Israel and the Palestinians need to take note that the billions of dollars promised by the Europeans and US to help resettle all the refugees as part of a total  solution to the problem is equally in danger of not being fulfilled as these rich nations cannot be as generous as promised due to the socioeconomic devastation of the pandemic.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council can also collectively endeavour to forge a peace process to find a solution to the long-lingering crisis.

This quintet can pressure both the Israelis and Palestinians to opt for peace talks, and the inclusion of China could bring fresh perspectives for a peaceful solution.

China, furthermore, is seeking to play a greater role in world affairs and its participation can be positive. Anyway, the Israeli-Palestinian issue is also an Asian one!

Action needs to be taken immediately as the violence in the Middle East could take a serious turn, making it difficult for a truce or a resumption of peace talks.

The Big Five have the responsibility and duty to act immediately to defuse the situation. The veto power comes with privileges as well as duties.

When they are collectively involved, they will not use the veto to undo one another as the case is presently.

Many countries are against the Big Five holding on to their veto power undemocratically, and the Big Five need to show and prove that their veto power and permanency in the Security Council is to maintain peace for the good of the world. – May 19, 2021.

* V. Thomas reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.