The resurgence of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, marked by the tragic loss of thousands of lives, has brought the entire Middle East to the brink of a full-scale war.
In turn, the risk of a direct clash between Israel and Iran heightens the probability of US involvement in the conflict. The consequences of such a scenario may be catastrophic. The situation is balancing on the brink of an abyss raising serious concerns about the future of the region and the world at large.
According to the Senior Advisor of Flint Global, former Secretary of State for European Affairs of Portugal (2013-2015) and author of the bestseller "The Dawn of Eurasia," Bruno Maçães, the conflict in the Middle East now has the world’s full attention.
"I've noticed two main interpretations of this conflict, two main narratives. In Europe and the U.S., it's perceived as a conflict between East and West, between liberal democracy and regimes of authoritarianism and totalitarianism created in the Eastern countries. Elsewhere, particularly in the Middle East, it's seen as part of the North-South conflict, a continuation of the decolonization process, with Palestine being viewed as a nation fighting for its decolonization. Kazakhstan attempts to position itself to balance all approaches," the expert noted during the Astana Club session "The Middle East: What Lies Ahead the Region?"
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, emphasized in his video message that in the context of armed conflicts escalation, the healthcare system could become a bridge for building peace.
"Healthcare is one of the few areas where countries can work together globally, regardless of ideological differences," said the WHO Director-General.
The "two-state" solution, a peaceful coexistence of Israel and Palestine, was addressed by Danilo Türk, President of the Madrid Club and former President of Slovenia (2007-2012). He mentioned that this idea had lost support since 2004, but is now being revived.
Türk believes the two key issues must be seriously considered when discussing the "two-state" idea.
"The first is the opinion of the Palestinians themselves. Today, the world doesn’t take seriously what the people of Palestine want. The second issue is statehood itself, its institutions, and structures. We have seen the emergence of many new autonomies and quasi-state entities, but so far, no one at the global community level has answered the conceptual question – does the self-determination of a people constitute the basis for recognizing a state," Türk declared.
He reminded that Palestine is currently an observer at the UN, but not a member of the organization. Membership in the UN, in the expert's opinion, would be a step towards the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In turn, Vuk Jeremić, President of the People's Party of Serbia, President of the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD), former President of the UN General Assembly (2012-2013), and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia (2007-2012), urged to consider not just the facts but also the context when examining the conflict in the Middle East.
"What is happening in the Middle East today is a tragedy. The level of misery the people are going through is terrible. There are no comparisons to characterize what is happening. But I would use this formulation: there are facts plus context. Thus, everyone has their own truth because everyone has their own context," the speaker believes.
José Luis Zapatero, former Prime Minister of Spain (2004-2011), stated that peaceful conflict resolution is a mandatory condition for mutual cooperation in the 21st century. According to him, peace in a global context can only be achieved when countries show respect for each other.
"Peace must be our common goal in the 21st century, the goal of all countries and international organizations, civil society, all intellectuals, and the global community as a whole. Peace is a mandatory condition for our future" the speaker summarizes.