Middle East peace is possible

This commentary is by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury; John Ging, former director of UNRWA/UNOCHA; and Miroslav Volf, founder of Yale Center for Faith and Culture, in consultation with Orthodox, Catholic and Anglican families of the Holy Land.

Aristotle’s belief that “peace is more difficult than war” is as true today as it was all those centuries ago. For countless families — Israeli and Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian, Iranian,  Iraqi and Yemeni — decades of unimaginable pain and loss have become a tragic norm. They are trapped in relentless cycles of conflict, lives shattered, tens of thousands killed, injured, homeless, left destitute by violence they did not choose and certainly do not deserve.

War is the manifestation of political failure. The price of that failure is paid in the loss of innocent lives and appalling human suffering. More war will lead to more death, destruction and despair — these are the predictable and inevitable consequences. History also teaches us that the often-stated war objectives of liberation and security are unattainable without an inclusive and popularly supported political process. Visiting the region in the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, President Biden was eager to share his wisdom, in the hope that the mistakes of his country in Iraq and Afghanistan would not be repeated.

In the present war, it is already tragically too late for the tens of thousands who have lost their lives. However, it is not too late for the tens of millions across the Middle East who are in mortal peril should this war continue. Therefore, the urgency and imperative to switch from the path of war to the path of peace cannot be overstated.

Setting out the foundations for peace and security 

Listening to much of the current discourse, it may seem that conflict in the Middle East is too complex and entrenched to resolve. However, this perspective is dangerously misleading. The path to peace has been clearly defined and affirmed in numerous resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council, the global body tasked with maintaining international peace and security. Political will to implement and ensure adherence to these resolutions, not more violence or war, is the effective path to ending conflict.  

U.N. Security Council Resolution 2735 (2024) calls for an immediate, full and complete cease-fire in Gaza. The principles for sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine were in fact articulated decades ago by the Security Council in landmark resolutions including 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). The Security Council also affirmed the vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side within secure and recognized borders in resolution 1397 (2002).  

Frameworks for conflict resolution in the wider region are also in place, including 1701 (2006), which set out the principles for a long-term cease-fire in Lebanon and disarmament of militias, as well as 2231 (2015), which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

Moreover, we can draw confidence from the resilience of existing Arab/Israeli peace agreements — such as those between Israel and Egypt (1979), Israel and Jordan (1994), and the more recent Abraham Accords. These all demonstrate, that peace between Israel and its neighbors is not only possible but it is also steadfastly durable once established.

In this conflict, the religious leaders from Christian churches, both locally and globally, seek ways forward that enable the Abrahamic faiths to support peace and the long process of reconciliation. For this to happen, the vast negative impact must be recognized of any potential changes in sovereignty or in the status quo on and around the Holy Sites, including the Haram Al-Sharif, or of damage or loss to the property of, or pressure against, the Christian sites and churches in the Old City and across Palestine, Israel and neighboring countries.

How to stop the killing

Intense efforts through mediation and dialogue have been tried since Oct. 7, 2023.

President Biden and his emissaries, leaders from the region, nations such as Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, the U.K., the EU and its members, the Holy See and many others have thrown their weight behind peace. Such efforts are the only way final peace can be established for the only true peacemakers are always the parties to the conflict. The only secure peace is one widely agreed, respecting the human dignity of all regardless of faith or ethnicity and being a foundation for the Common Good. However, where dialogue and mediation struggle to find a way forward, there exists a framework within the United Nations to deliver space for the necessary agreements to be reached.  

When there is a breakdown in international peace and security, the tools to address this are set out in Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. Chapter VII empowers the U.N. Security Council to “take such action as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security” and has been used multiple times in the past to end wars. War is never a solution to war, but this sort of international peace action may buy time.

It is therefore imperative that the Security Council now exercise these Chapter VII powers to implement Resolution 2735 on Gaza. This will enforce, as first steps, an immediate, full and complete cease-fire, release of hostages, and oversee the full withdrawal of Israeli forces as well as ensuring delivery of the long overdue massive humanitarian response to end the deplorable physical and psychological suffering of the population. The biggest obstacle to peace is the almost complete absence of mutual confidence, trust and security. The reconstruction of Gaza, to rebuild communities, restore livelihoods and ignite hope, replacing despair, must also follow quickly with a financial commitment on the scale of the Marshall Plan after World War II. 

Other measures are necessary, including international guarantees, with believable chances of delivery. In this region, above all, faith groups must be involved in rebuilding trust, which will be a work of generations. The Christian churches have done such work for centuries, and are well positioned to play a major role.  

The Security Council must also mobilize its powers and resources in coordination with the Lebanese government to ensure the full implementation of Resolution 1701. There must be an immediate cease-fire, enabling the safe return of those internally displaced in both Israel and Lebanon, with a roadmap for the complete disarming of militias and activation of humanitarian, reconstruction and recovery packages. Moreover, the Security Council must also engage with Iran to ensure that the objectives of the JCPOA are achieved transparently and accountably, ensuring a path to safeguard regional stability enjoying the confidence of all. 

Call to action

Seventy-nine years ago, in the aftermath of World War II, learning from the abject failures of the League of Nations, the U.N. Charter established the Security Council, giving it the responsibility and power to maintain and restore international peace and security. The 15 members on that Council today must step up and do their duty. They have already agreed on the resolutions that will deliver peace in the Middle East. Now they must unify and mobilize the political will to implement these resolutions, since failure is a matter of life and death while tens of millions are at risk. Peace begins with a cessation of violence, for only then can the clarity of thinking take place to reimagine the future. The Holy Land can and must become an inspiration for peace instead of war and, in so doing, make peace easier than war for future generations.