A Shared Future for Israelis and Palestinians

How can people talk to one another when their relationship is shaped by fear, violence and mistrust? At the event Prospects for Peace and Justice, Professor of Law Matthias Mahlmann invited Amal Jamal and Samer Sinijlawi to UZH to engage in a dialogue on the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

“It is necessary to formulate shared ideas for the future, to derive political action from them, to understand the present and not to lose hope,” said Mahlmann at the opening of the event. Amal Jamal is a professor of political science at Tel Aviv University and an Israeli; Samer Sinijlawi is a political activist and writer from East Jerusalem and a Palestinian. Both were invited as individuals, not as representatives of their governments or peoples, emphasized Mahlmann.

The dialogue soon revealed that both participants shared common messages, even if they differed in emphasis. Amal Jamal highlighted the importance of communication and negotiation. Ignoring the other side, he argued, does not lead to long-term solutions but to events like those of 7 October. Jamal called for mutual recognition and for equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis based on the principle of coexistence.

However, Jamal sees a major challenge in the mutual fear, a responsibility shared by both sides: it is up to the Palestinians, he said, to restore the Israelis’ sense of security – not to Qatar or other states. Israelis, for their part, must learn that security cannot be achieved through military power alone. They must evolve from being a people of refugees to a people capable of hosting refugees.

Samer Sinijlawi, in turn, places his hopes in what unites both peoples. Growing up in Jerusalem, he experienced people as a community, regardless of their background or religion. Only at the age of fourteen did he realize that there was an “us” and “them” – it was the time of the Intifada. After being arrested as a teenager and sentenced to five years in prison, he came to know the other side through his Israeli guards. He learned that there is a difference between the people of Israel and the Israeli government.

The same holds true for Palestine, where the government no longer represents the people. Change, he believes, is therefore needed on both sides. In Israel, his hopes rest on the country’s political process: together, Jewish and Palestinian Israelis could bring about a shift in the next elections. But Palestinians, too, deserve democracy, reform and support in the fight against corruption.

Sinijlawi agreed with Jamal on the importance of understanding both conflicting narratives and recognizing the potential of dialogue to bridge divides. Yet both acknowledged the difficulty of overcoming the deep-seated hatred fueled by violence on both sides.

When asked about support from other countries, both agreed that such help is needed, especially from Arab states. But the West, too, can and must contribute, not only financially but by fostering dialogue. As Sinijlawi said, “It’s not only the houses that are damaged, but also the hearts.”

True change, both Jamal and Sinijlawi stressed, will come through hope, not revenge. Grassroots initiatives from within both societies are needed to give Palestinians a voice and to strengthen dialogue with Israeli society. They concluded by urging participants to reflect on what role they themselves wish to play in supporting this process of transformation.

Matthias Mahlmann expressed his satisfaction and relief that the discussion had taken place peacefully. “Open and controversial discussions on difficult topics are important for challenging our own assumptions. They are an antidote to the ideological narrowing of our intellectual space and a training ground for open-minded critical thinking,” he said.