Draft in progress- Mideast Peace intro/essay (current)

With the specter of authoritarian violence and repression increasing for supporters of both Israel and Palestine, as monarchist Islamocentric regional powers use continued security and social instability for the justification of democratic backsliding or avoidance, while democratic Jewish allies and global diasporic jurisdictions attempt to eliminate open debate on the topic using extremist judicial and legislative tools with the ostensible goal of preventing anti-semitism, the critical importance of the Mideast peace process becomes clear, not just as the best method of saving Palestinian and Jewish lives but also preserving civil society and pluralism worldwide.

The growing strength of modern anti-democratic institutions in both Muslim and Judeo-Christian spheres of influence should worry all of us. A conflict-based status quo allows international interests the myth of stability and a balance of powers, while ensuring decisions affecting citizenry are driven by vested stakeholders in fields like weapon development and property speculation, incentivizing continued terroristic war and land seizures that do not benefit the economic or social values of any party.

It is clear that neither Palestine nor Israel is capable of eliminating the other, even with the full support of their allies. Escalation of their war will not make America greater, safer, or wealthier. The closure of educational facilities due to spurious claims of bias against Jewish people, negatively affects Jewish students just as much as Palestinian ones. A doctrine of support for Israeli supremacy in the Holy Land is incapable of guaranteeing Jewish (or indeed Palestinian) safety, but in fact increased the risk of bloodshed due to the inherently escalatory nature of unresolved conflict.