And rather than focusing solely on state actors, Meyer places unusual emphasis on the role of civil society, describing Israeli and Palestinian grassroots leaders as “the people on the ground who are actually working for solutions.” Meyerstein points to polling showing substantial Israeli support for a regional agreement that includes Palestinian statehood, arguing that citizens require “alternatives to this bloody status quo.” He insists that the extreme violence has exposed the unsustainability of the current trajectory. For him, the challenge is creating political conditions in
which Israelis and Palestinians can move beyond what he calls a “frozen status quo” toward a shared and secure future. His central message is both sobering and hopeful: diplomacy without society is insufficient, but civil society without political engagement is ineffective. Sustainable peace, he argues, will require both. His central message is both sobering and hopeful: diplomacy without society is insufficient, but civil society without political engagement is ineffective. Sustainable peace, he argues, will require both.
Israeli-Palestinian peace, civil society, grassroots leaders, regional agreement, Palestinian statehood, frozen status quo, diplomacy, polling