Continued occupation by Israel of the Palestinian territories, keeping the Palestinians from having their own state, and continued settlement of Palestinian land are the main roadblocks to lasting peace in the Holy Land, said the Jerusalem-based regional director of a Catholic charity.
A day after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, January 19, Joseph Hazboun, regional director of Catholic Near East Welfare Association-Pontifical Mission for Palestine, based in Jerusalem, said that it’s clear from 15 months of war that military action will not bring peace and security to Israel.
In an interview with Aleteia, Hazboun said that “keeping the Palestinians from having an independent state or enjoying some sort of dignified freedom will not guarantee security for the Israelis.”
“Only peace and freedom and a life with dignity can secure for the Israelis the security that they need and provide for the Palestinians a sense of peace and security for them as well,” Hazboun said.
He said that the root cause of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the organization that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007, is Israel’s continued occupation of the Strip and the West Bank, as well as new Jewish settlements and expansion of existing ones in Palestinian territories.
“As long as there is occupation, there will never be real peace,” he said.
Also impeding progress is Israel’s practice of “keeping the Palestinians contained in containers.”
“That’s what the Palestinian cities are; they are containers where the Palestinians are held, controlled by the Israeli military by numerous checkpoints,” he said. “The number of iron gates put on Palestinian roads within the West Bank has grown enormously since October 7 [2023]. Only yesterday, three or four more gates were installed, even around Bethlehem, so people don’t have freedom of movement.”
But Hazboun assesses that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “extreme, rightwing government will not allow him to go into the path of peace if it means giving back the land to the Palestinians, freedom of movement, decreasing the number of settlements. I don’t see that we are heading towards a sincere path of peace, unfortunately.”
“I don’t see that we are heading towards a sincere path of peace, unfortunately.”
Humanitarian situation
Hazboun also addressed the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where the Israel Defense Forces have attacked Hamas military positions since October 2023, after Hamas invaded southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people and took 250 people hostage.
“Now the question is, ‘Will Netanyahu allow reconstruction material into Gaza? Or will we witness, again, 2012 and 2014 scenarios where construction material was not allowed into Gaza, and so a number of buildings were not rebuilt — and then the size of devastation and destruction goes way beyond what we have seen,” Hazboun said. “So great relief efforts and reconstruction and planning are required, and it can only happen if Israel allows material into Gaza.”
During the past 15 months, the Pontifical Mission for Palestine provided food packages to Gazans, as well as psychosocial support, mostly to children, youth, and mothers, Hazboun said. It also provided grants to help institutions continue “some sort of education.”
“For 15 months, the educational process was put on hold, so at least the kids continued to learn something,” he said
Hazboun also expressed hope for an end to the war in Ukraine, which could lead to greater levels of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. He said that “a number of European states” had “diverted their funding from humanitarian and development and relief” to assist Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion.
Said Hazboun, “I believe it’s important for Europe to join forces with the United States in pushing for serious and real peace that guarantees a dignified life for the Palestinians.”
