The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has long advocated for a strong and secure Israel. Now, I believe it has an opportunity to take up an even greater concern: lasting security for Jews around the world and justice, freedom, and dignity for the Palestinian people.
These two goals should not be viewed as opposites. I believe they are inseparable.
From Israel’s Security to a Broader Mission
On June 5, 1967, Israel launched airstrikes against Egyptian airfields at the beginning of what became known as the Six-Day War. By the war’s end, Israel had captured the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.
The war dramatically transformed Israel’s strategic position in the Middle East.
In the decades since, Israel has developed into a formidable regional military power. AIPAC, meanwhile, has become one of the most influential organizations advocating for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.
But security is not simply a matter of military strength.
The Jewish people have endured extraordinary suffering over thousands of years. They have experienced persecution, expulsion, humiliation, antisemitism, and, ultimately, the unimaginable horror of the Holocaust. They deserved a homeland where they could feel secure.
That long dream of safety was realized, at least in part, through the establishment and defense of Israel. Yet I believe there is another task still before us: creating a world in which a Jewish person can walk freely anywhere without apprehension or fear.
That requires a broader understanding of security.
Security for Jews Around the World
I believe AIPAC now has an opportunity to direct more of its considerable influence and resources toward finding lasting security for Jewish people everywhere.
Such security cannot come through military power alone. Nor, in my view, can it come through policies that permanently displace, dominate, or deny the rights of Palestinians.
It can come through relationships.
It can come through mutual respect.
And it can come through recognizing and accepting Palestinians as fellow human beings who deserve the same fundamental rights, dignity, freedom, and security that every person deserves.
The security of Jewish people and the human rights of Palestinians do not have to be competing causes. Indeed, I believe lasting peace requires us to recognize that the future of these two peoples is connected.
Justice and Human Rights for Palestinians
Palestinians want what human beings everywhere want: to live their lives with freedom, dignity, opportunity, and hope for their children.
For generations, Palestinians have experienced displacement, occupation, restrictions on movement, violence, and political uncertainty. Their rights and aspirations cannot simply be pushed aside if the goal is genuine and lasting peace.
It pains me that a people who have themselves endured centuries of persecution can live alongside another people experiencing humiliation and deprivation without recognizing the moral urgency of their suffering.
Checkpoints, barriers, restrictions, settlement expansion, displacement, and the daily realities of occupation have shaped Palestinian life for decades.
What happened to the ancient command to welcome the stranger?
At the same time, too much public discourse and media coverage reduces Palestinians to stereotypes or treats an entire population through the lens of militancy and terrorism. Palestinians, like Israelis, are individuals: parents, children, teachers, doctors, workers, students, and families who want to live.
We must learn to see one another as human beings before we see one another as enemies.
A Confederation and a Different Future
AIPAC could help elevate serious discussion about new political possibilities, including proposals for an Israel-Palestine confederation or other frameworks that protect the national aspirations, security, freedom, and dignity of both peoples.
The circumstances are unique, and comparisons with other conflicts have limits. Yet history demonstrates that bitter enemies can eventually find ways to cooperate.
If former adversaries elsewhere in the world have transformed seemingly permanent conflicts through negotiation and political courage, Israelis and Palestinians should not be told that reconciliation is impossible.
They need leaders and institutions willing to imagine it.
AIPAC has resources, relationships, and political influence. Imagine if more of that power were directed toward building trust between Israelis and Palestinians and strengthening relationships between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
That could become a profoundly important contribution to Jewish security.
Friendship Instead of Permanent Enmity
There is an idea often expressed in different forms: if you want to eliminate an enemy, turn that enemy into a friend.
Whether or not reconciliation sounds realistic in this moment of profound grief and anger, the principle deserves consideration.
Permanent enmity cannot be the only vision for the future.
Someone must begin the work of changing relationships. Organizations with political influence and financial resources are uniquely positioned to support dialogue, coexistence, education, economic cooperation, and the people on both sides who refuse to accept endless war as inevitable.
I believe AIPAC could become one of those forces.
If it devoted more of its energy to building friendships with Palestinians and strengthening peaceful relationships across the Arab world, the long-term security of Israel and Jewish communities worldwide could be among the most important outcomes.
Justice is not an obstacle to security.
Justice is one of its foundations.
Unless Palestinians have meaningful freedom, dignity, political rights, and hope for their future, I do not believe Israelis will experience the lasting security they seek. Nor will Jewish communities around the world be insulated from the consequences of a conflict that continues to generate anger, grief, and polarization.
We must also distinguish legitimate criticism of the Israeli government from antisemitism. At the same time, antisemitism must never be tolerated or excused because of anger over the actions of any Israeli government.
Jewish people everywhere cannot be held collectively responsible for the decisions of Israel’s leaders, just as Palestinians everywhere cannot be held collectively responsible for the actions of Hamas.
That distinction is essential.
Accountability for Israeli and Palestinian Lives
The Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel, according to Israeli authorities, and involved the taking of hostages. Those responsible for deliberately killing civilians and taking hostages must be held accountable.
Nothing justifies the murder of innocent civilians.
At the same time, the enormous Palestinian civilian death toll and devastation that followed Israel’s military campaign in Gaza demand moral attention and accountability. The scale of suffering has shocked people around the world and intensified calls for a ceasefire, humanitarian protection, the release of hostages, and a political resolution to the conflict.
The casualty figures cited at different stages of this war have changed substantially over time and remain the subject of intense scrutiny and debate. Whatever numbers are ultimately established, every innocent Israeli and Palestinian life lost represents a human tragedy.
I strongly opposed the Biden administration’s handling of the war and its decisions regarding international ceasefire efforts. I also strongly oppose decisions by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government that, in my view, have contributed to devastating civilian suffering and deepened hostility toward Israel around the world.
Political leaders must be accountable for their decisions.
But accountability must not stop with one side.
We must hold Hamas’s leadership responsible for the deliberate killing of civilians and hostage-taking on October 7. We must also acknowledge the long history of Palestinian displacement, occupation, dispossession, and the denial of political freedom that preceded the current war.
Acknowledging Palestinian suffering does not excuse the killing of Israeli civilians.
Condemning the killing of Israeli civilians does not require us to ignore Palestinian suffering.
We should be capable of holding both truths at once.
As an individual, I grieve for innocent Palestinians who have been killed and for innocent Israelis who were murdered. I hope my grandchildren will never accuse my generation of remaining silent in the face of human suffering. At the very least, I want them to be able to say that their grandfather spoke.
Can Jewish Security and Palestinian Freedom Coexist?
Yes. I believe they must.
The central argument of this article is that Jewish security and Palestinian freedom are not mutually exclusive. Lasting security cannot depend indefinitely on one person controlling another, just as Palestinian liberation cannot be achieved through attacks on innocent Israeli civilians.
A sustainable future must protect both peoples.
Israelis need security.
Palestinians need freedom and self-determination.
Jewish communities need protection from antisemitism.
Palestinians need protection from discrimination, displacement, and dehumanization.
Children on both sides need something more than inherited fear.
The political framework—whether two states, a confederation, or another mutually agreed arrangement—must ultimately be determined through legitimate political processes and negotiations. But the moral foundation should be clear: neither people should have to disappear for the other to live in peace.
Why Should AIPAC Take a New Approach?
AIPAC has influence in American political life and has long focused on strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship. My appeal is for that influence to be used more expansively in pursuit of long-term peace.
Imagine political advocacy that treats Palestinian dignity as essential to Israeli security.
Imagine investments in dialogue between communities.
Imagine supporting leaders willing to make difficult compromises rather than rewarding permanent confrontation.
Imagine Jewish and Palestinian organizations working together to oppose antisemitism, anti-Palestinian hatred, Islamophobia, terrorism, collective punishment, and dehumanization in all their forms.
That would not require abandoning Israel.
It would require believing that Israel’s safest future is one in which Palestinians also have a future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What new role could AIPAC play in the Israel-Palestine conflict?
In my view, AIPAC could broaden its advocacy beyond traditional measures of Israeli security and use its influence to encourage dialogue, coexistence, Palestinian human rights, regional relationships, and political solutions that provide lasting security and dignity for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Are Jewish security and Palestinian rights incompatible?
No. I believe lasting Jewish and Israeli security ultimately depends on Palestinians also having freedom, dignity, human rights, and a viable political future. Neither population should have to sacrifice its humanity or security for the other.
What is an Israel-Palestine confederation?
Broadly speaking, confederation proposals explore ways for Israelis and Palestinians to maintain distinct national identities and political institutions while cooperating across borders on shared concerns. Different proposals vary considerably, and any arrangement would require agreement and detailed negotiations between the parties.
Does criticizing the Israeli government amount to antisemitism?
Criticism of the policies or actions of an Israeli government is not inherently antisemitic. Antisemitism involves prejudice, hatred, or discrimination against Jewish people. Jewish individuals and communities should never be held collectively responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.
Does supporting Palestinian rights mean supporting Hamas?
No. Supporting Palestinian human rights, dignity, and self-determination does not require supporting Hamas or attacks against Israeli civilians. It is possible—and necessary—to defend Palestinian rights while unequivocally condemning deliberate attacks on civilians and hostage-taking.
Can Israelis and Palestinians achieve lasting peace?
The obstacles are immense, particularly after decades of violence, occupation, terrorism, displacement, distrust, and failed political processes. But declaring peace impossible guarantees that conflict will continue. Lasting peace requires political courage, accountability, security guarantees, recognition of rights, and a willingness to see the humanity of the other side.
What is necessary for lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians?
Any durable solution must address Israeli security and Palestinian freedom, dignity, self-determination, and human rights. It must also confront difficult questions involving borders, settlements, Jerusalem, refugees, security, governance, and mutual recognition through a legitimate political process.
If We Cannot Stand Up for Others, Who Will Stand Up for Us?
If we cannot stand up for others, why should anyone stand up for us?
No people should be left to face suffering alone.
A statement widely attributed to Chief Seattle expresses a profound idea: all things are connected. Human beings are strands in the same web of life, and what we do to others ultimately affects us all.
That principle should guide our response to this conflict.
Jewish suffering matters.
Palestinian suffering matters.
Israeli lives matter.
Palestinian lives matter.
Recognizing one does not diminish the other.
A Final Appeal for Peace
Jewish and Islamic traditions both contain powerful teachings about the sanctity of human life. Christianity, too, carries the message: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
People of faith must therefore ask themselves a difficult question: Are we doing enough to save lives?
Political leaders must ask the same.
The cycle of death and destruction cannot become normal. Those responsible for crimes against civilians must face accountability under applicable law, regardless of nationality or political affiliation.
But accountability alone will not create peace.
Eventually, someone must build.
Someone must listen.
Someone must recognize the humanity of the person on the other side.
And someone must have the courage to say that security built only on force can never be complete.
I believe AIPAC has the resources and influence to help become a force for a different future—a future in which advocating for Israel’s security includes advocating for Palestinian dignity and freedom.
The United States should use its diplomatic influence to advance a credible political resolution that recognizes the legitimate national aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians. Whether the ultimate framework is two sovereign states, a confederation, or another arrangement freely negotiated by both peoples, the goal should be clear: two peoples working together for the good of their children rather than condemning another generation to conflict.
AIPAC can be part of that transformation.
Good men and women can reverse the course of hatred. Margaret Mead is widely credited with the words: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”
Perhaps the most important question now is not who has the power to defeat the other.
It is who has the courage to make peace.
Om Shanti.
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