One land, two stories

With justice served as of Osama Bin Laden's daring capture and execution, one might wonder what was his beef with the U.S.A. in the first place? The multiple branches of his hatred, and others in the Arab world, can be reduced to one seed: Our nearly unconditional support of Israel.

            The modern nation of Israel was created following World War II despite the fact that Palestinian Arabs had been living there, pretty much for as long as homosapiens have been on two legs. So, if the United Nations determined that a group of people had the right to move into Montana, kill many of us in the process, and treat the remaining people as dirt, you might not be endeared to them either. For our Native American elders, this is more than an exercise in empathy.

            But back to the Israeli conflict. There was a time, not too long ago, when Israel and their neighbor Egypt signed a momentous peace accord. This occurred after decades of bloodshed between two Arabian nations, Egypt and Israel, and just a mere 5 years following the peril of the Yom Kippur War. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat met at the U.S. presidential retreat, Camp David, in 1978. Brokered with President Jimmy Carter, the two signed the first peace agreement ever drafted between these two powers.

Prior to this agreement, Egypt and Israel had been enemies for nearly three decades and were in disputed combat at least four times in thirty years. At these tense Camp David negotiations, each party refused to negotiate directly, using Carter as mediator. Throughout the thirteen days of an ultimate game of quid-pro-quo, both parties endured much pressure and an immense amount of gridlock. For example, on the 11^th day, Sadat declared he would unilaterally terminate the negotiation proceedings and leave Camp David without signing any agreement.

            Within the text of the Camp David Accords, Israel and Egypt recognized and accepted that the recent visits combined with the “peace proposals made my both leaders, as well as the warm reception of these missions by the peoples of both countries have created an unprecedented opportunity for peace which must not be lost if this generation and future generations are to be spared in the tragedies of war.” [source 1]

          One of the most crucial aspects in which to keep in mind while studying the Camp David Accords, and with the Israeli, Palestinian conflict in general is the fact that the state of Israel is known as the “cradle of civilization” in the Middle East and, most importantly, is the birthplace of three prominent religions. Since the creation of Israel, people of the Middle East have not had the luxury of peace. In efforts to reconcile, and pursue peace in the region Sadat and Begin joined together to sign one of the greatest peace documents of its time, and furthered the Middle East one major step forward in the peace process.

Peace requires respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force. Progress toward that goal can accelerate movement toward a new era of reconciliation in the Middle East marked by cooperation in promoting economic development, in maintaining stability and in assuring security.


Shaul Gabbay, a Jew born in Israel, and Amin Kazak, a muslim born in Palestine, came to Montana State University to speak about how they learned to work together, despite their deeply rooted disagreements. Although these two men and their histories have shed far too much blood over the decades they believe that together they can work to find a peaceful solution. 

It is apparent that although they agree to work together, they still do not - and probably never will agree on the terms such as "who's land is it anyway?" But this fortuitous friendship led to a very inspiring night. 

Each began by introducing their individual background and connection to their homeland. I have been interested and involved in many talks, discussions and even arguments over the sticky subject of who deserves the land, who should be there, and how in the heck do we fix it such deep animosity? I greatly appreciated the form of respect each held for the other and their poise while listening to one's claims. It almost felt like a court hearing. Where the defense states their evidence and claim then comes the states evidence and claims. Each are required to listen with respect and poise yet hold their one credibility by each own's rebuttals. 

I was very impressed at was excited about gaining yet another window into each of Gabbay and Kazak's world the kind of work that these two men are doing may even one day be compared with Carter's efforts of peace in the late 70's with the Camp David Accords. 

Ultimately, upon the signing of the Camp David Accords on September 17, 1978 was one of the greatest peace negotiations and examples of diplomacy of our time. By the efforts of three diplomats joining together to come to a single answer to one of the most difficult questions in the book- what to do about the perpetual conflicts within the Middle East, these men displayed poise and respect and showed an alternative to negotiations besides fighting and bloodshed. President Carter praised Begin and Sadat in their resolution saying that it is “a great step forward, and sure proof of the tremendous courage of Prime Minister Begin and Sadat.” For a time, hope of a some-day peaceful Middle East was renewed. The stimulated debates between all three men will be remembered as one of the largest steps made towards peace, in a place where conflict will most likely never cease. Sadat and Begin were later awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1978 for their bilateral efforts at peace. Former President Jimmy Carter was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2002 for what presenters claimed “his decades of work seeking peaceful solutions and promoting social and economic justice.”

I do believe that Kazak and Gabbay will be able to glue together the broken land and it's people one day. There's a quote that I have always followed, "start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. These men are on their way to doing and modeling the way for mending the impossible. 

Source 1: Original Document of Camp David Accords