ISRAEL, THE PALESTINIANS, AND THE CHILDREN WE’RE LOSING
Ending Proxy Politics and Rethinking Peace in the Middle East
It shapes how I see the world, how I define justice, and how I understand conflict and peace. And it is from this compass that I draw three verses—verses that should guide not only Muslims, but anyone who truly values life, dignity, and coexistence.
“Whoever kills a soul—it is as if he had slain all of humanity. And whoever saves a soul—it is as if he had saved all of humanity.” (Surah al-Ma’idah 5:32)
“Repel evil with what is better—then the one between whom and you was hatred will become as though he were your closest friend.” (Surah Fussilat 41:34)
“Fight in the way of God those who fight you, but do not transgress. Truly, God does not love transgressors.” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:190)
These are not verses of vague moralism. They are principles for life, law, and foreign policy. And they form the backbone of what I am about to say.
The death of even one innocent person—whether they are Zionist, Arab, Jew, Muslim, Christian, Druze, or atheist—is not acceptable. It is not just a spiritual wrong. It is a political failure. A strategic miscalculation. A moral catastrophe.
In every conflict in the Middle East—whether it be in Gaza, Syria, southern Lebanon, Yemen, or elsewhere—it is the innocent who suffer most. The child who never asked for war. The father who simply went to the market. The mother who never saw her son return. Their deaths are not just numbers. They are stories that ended too soon.
And today, in the heart of this suffering, stands a question that Israel—and the entire region—must answer: What kind of future are we building?
Israel’s current path is one of military supremacy, fortified borders, occupation, and uncritical support from Western powers—particularly the United States. But it is surrounded by over 400 million Arabs. And it exists in a region that is shifting. America will not remain the sole global superpower. China, India, Russia, and regional players like Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia are gaining ground. To base survival on Western dominance is to bet on a strategy that cannot last.
And here, I must speak directly to the Israeli people. The peace option is not just morally superior—it is strategically wiser. If Israel continues its current path, it will face demographic pressures, deepening global isolation, and endless cycles of retaliation that no amount of firepower can resolve. The future is not with those who promise domination—it is with those who can imagine coexistence.
This means Israelis must begin to choose leaders who see beyond the short term, who are not driven by fear or political gain, but by vision. Leaders who recognize that military control over another people cannot be maintained forever without losing one's own soul—and ultimately one's security. The current model is myopic. It creates the illusion of strength, but guarantees instability. A sustainable future requires a strategic shift. This shift must begin in the voting booth, in public discourse, and in the hearts of the people.
Influential lobbies like AIPAC and the broader Zionist establishment must also rethink their strategies. What may look clever today—insulating Israel through power, lobbying, and suppression of criticism—will look tragically short-sighted tomorrow. Their energies would be better spent championing a regional peace built on justice, coexistence, and mutual benefit. The role of these organizations could be transformative if redirected toward diplomacy, bridge-building, and reconciliation.
But Israel is not alone in needing to shift. The broader Middle East must also move. Too many Arab and Muslim countries have become vessels for foreign powers, their foreign policies written not in Arabic or Persian or Turkish, but in the languages of their patrons. This reality, a leftover from the post-World War II order, has rendered many nations into battlegrounds for foreign ambitions.
Like Europe, which is beginning to reflect critically on its own dependency on the United States, the Middle East must assert itself. It must write its own foreign policy—not to serve Moscow or Washington or Beijing—but to serve the people of the region.
And this can only happen with peace.
Peace is not a soft word. It is the most powerful word in diplomacy. It opens doors to economic unions, water sharing, technology exchange, educational partnerships, and a new collective identity. Imagine an Eastern Mediterranean Economic Zone. Imagine shared pipelines, solar energy corridors, and joint universities. Imagine tourists flowing across borders, not soldiers.
But none of this can happen while children die in airstrikes. While homes are bulldozed. While settlements expand. While entire populations remain stateless and voiceless.
This is why I return to those Qur’anic verses. Because they remind me that the moral path and the strategic path are, in this case, the same.
“Whoever kills a soul—it is as if he had slain all of humanity.”
“Repel evil with what is better.”
“Do not transgress. God does not love transgressors.”
These are not uniquely Islamic teachings. The Bible echoes them: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9). Hindu scripture declares, “Ahimsa paramo dharmah”—Nonviolence is the highest duty. In Buddhist texts, we read: “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal law.”
Peace is not the property of any one religion or people. It is the common language of our better angels.
So I write this not just to Muslims. Not just to Israelis. Not just to Arabs or Americans or diplomats. I write this to you, the reader—wherever you are. We need to start talking, seriously, openly, and urgently, about the better option. We need to begin conversations across the dinner table, across political aisles, across religious lines.
A Middle Eastern peace will not just transform the region. It will ripple across the globe. It will de-escalate tensions in Europe, stabilize energy markets, reduce global military spending, and give millions a chance at life, dignity, and a future.
Let us not wait for another war. Let us not wait for more innocent names to be added to the list of the dead.
Let us start now—with courage, honesty, and compassion. Not because it is easy, but because it is necessary.
Because if one child were yours, peace would no longer be optional. It would be the only way forward.
Peace.
Anas Zubedy
28/6/25
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