By Dr. Mike Ghouse
There will be no lasting security for Israel without justice and security for Palestinians.
For 25 years, I have argued that the futures of Israelis and Palestinians are inseparable, including through my work with Israel Palestine Dialogue. Israel’s security strategy must be judged by a straightforward question: is it creating a future in which people can live without fear?
The accompanying video challenges the assumption that military force, territorial expansion and American political backing can deliver lasting safety. Its central question deserves an honest answer: have the policies pursued in the name of security actually made Israel more secure?
Security Cannot Be Built on Another People’s Insecurity
Israeli families deserve safety. Palestinian families deserve the same. Neither people should have to bury their children, fear an attack or wonder whether their homes will survive.
A leadership that promises security while perpetuating dispossession and denying another people their rights must be challenged. Military power can destroy buildings. It cannot, by itself, build trust, resolve grievances or create peaceful coexistence.
Any vision of “Greater Israel” that depends on taking Palestinian land, displacing families or permanently denying Palestinians their freedom must be rejected. Territorial ambition is no foundation for lasting security.
My criticism is directed at political leadership and its decisions. Jewish communities worldwide must never be held responsible for the actions of Israel’s government. Their safety and dignity are unconditional.
True Friendship Requires the Courage to Say “Enough”
American leaders, Republican and Democratic alike, should recognize that unquestioning support can become a dangerous substitute for responsible friendship.
Weapons, political applause and diplomatic protection cannot replace a credible path toward peace. In my view, support that enables destructive policies risks undermining the very security it claims to defend.
A true friend must have the courage to say: this path is costing lives and putting your future at risk.
Israel does not need a deceptive friendship that offers unquestioning support while enabling policies that deepen insecurity. Israelis and Jewish communities worldwide deserve a commitment to their lasting safety, not political gestures that serve American electoral interests.
When politicians put campaign contributions and political advantage ahead of human life, they betray the people they claim to defend. Such conduct deserves scrutiny and accountability, regardless of party. Friendship must be measured by whether it helps build a safer future.
Jewish voices speaking against violence and injustice deserve support, alongside Palestinian voices demanding freedom and dignity. Leaders responsible for killing civilians must face accountability. Jewish people deserve lasting safety and belonging, wherever they live. The history of Jewish persecution must strengthen our resolve to prevent oppression, never become a justification for inflicting it on others.
I cannot expect to sleep in peace while threatening those around me. The same principle applies to nations: lasting security requires us to work for the safety of our neighbors as well as our own.
For 20 years, my work in Holocaust and genocide commemoration has reinforced a conviction: “Never again” must be a commitment to humanity. We must recognize suffering beyond our own community and defend the dignity of others as firmly as we defend our own.
Israelis and Palestinians need a future built on equal human worth, accountable leadership and mutual security.
There will be no security for Israel without justice and security for Palestinians. Period.
Dr. Mike Ghouse
Chair, Holocaust & Genocides Commemoration — 20 years
Israel Palestine Dialogue
Dr. Ghouse is the President and founder of the Center for Pluralism and director of the World Muslim Congress. He is an Interfaith Wedding Officiant for InterfaithMarriages.org and a Muslim Wedding Officiant. He is a Muslim, Pluralist, activist, speaker, author, and social scientist. More on Google
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