The Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the toughest problems plaguing the Middle East and the international community today, and it is one filled with numerous passionate opinions. Yet, after decades of conflict, no clear answer to this crisis has presented itself.

Two weeks ago, President Barack Obama gave a speech in Jerusalem that, for the most part, seemed typical for a U.S. president. He offered support for an ally in the region and reaffirmed how the two countries have always been close.

However, the president used the word “occupation” to describe Israeli control of the West Bank and the Israeli settlers who live there. It was very unusual, especially when talking to a group of Israelis.

Even so, he concluded that peace with Palestine is possible and that he wants to bring both parties closer together.

The next day, President Obama met with Palestinian leaders to discuss the stalled peace process. Although many in Jordan support the Palestinian position of a two-state solution, or a “right of return,” in which Palestinians who lived in Israel before 1948 would be allowed to return, they have little hope that a real solution will come to fruition any time soon. Given the lack of progress that can be seen in the past, who could blame them?

In recent years, Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government have said, “I (Netanyahu) have no intention of building new settlements in the West Bank … But like all the governments there have been until now, I will have to meet the needs of natural growth in the population.”

This is a nice way of saying the government will build more settlements when it sees fit.

Obviously, the settlements pose a major roadblock to peace in the region, and the Palestinians said they wouldn’t even begin to talk with the Israelis until they halt construction. But what tangible political benefits would the Israelis receive for making peace? Doing so could mean losing security in the West Bank, losing water rights in Palestinian lands and being left with less land for their own population.

The politics behind the issue makes an agreement on peace seem impossible.

After speaking with an Israeli-Palestinian Christian named Sohil, I believe peace can be achieved.

Sohil’s family has lived in Northern Israel since before Israel was a state. Now, working in the Ministry of Education and as a principal of a middle school, Sohil identifies with the Arab minority living in Israel and feels he has a stronger connection with his fellow Muslim Palestinians than with Israelis.

Sohil is an Israeli citizen with an Israeli passport, but he does not feel equal to the Israelis. For instance, it is mandatory that all Israeli citizens do military service — but they never sent Sohil a notification for such service. No one else from his town received one, either. Plus, despite Israeli documentation, he still gets held up at border crossings and Israeli airports.

But Sohil likes living in Israel and feels no hostility toward the state or people. He said he wouldn’t move to the West Bank if it became a separate Palestinian entity.

“Why would I do that? It is so much nicer in Israel. The schools, hospitals, economy, women’s rights are all better here than in the West Bank. I just wanted to be treated as an equal, that’s all,” he said.

But Sohil is optimistic. He believes a one-state solution is possible, referencing the time when the sheik (a spiritual Muslim leader) and Christian priest light a Christmas tree in the middle of his town every year. Sohil thinks the co-existence of different religions in his town, as well as his relations with Jewish friends, are examples of progress and cooperation.

In this conflict that so greatly stirs people’s passions, there is no clear solution or easy answer for peace. However, if Sohil, who has lived in Israel almost his entire life, is optimistic, then I, too, can hope for a peaceful end to this conflict.

Stephen Sydor is a junior international relations major. His column appears every week in Pulp. He can be reached at srsydor@syr.edu.

Published on April 9, 2013 at 1:36 am