A Call for Reconciliation: Seventy-Five Years After Folke Bernadotte

Seventy-five years ago, Folke Bernadotte was appointed as the first UN peacemaker in the then Arab-Israeli war. A war, a conflict, that has never seen a long-term political solution.

The brutal and ruthless events of recent days can never be accepted. It must cease immediately.

But now it is also about our ability to see ourselves in others. To see ourselves in the Israeli families who, in fear and despair, experience the threats and terror, and who have seen their children, family members or friends, snatched away in the terror. Who have grown up in fear. To see ourselves also in the Palestinian families who, in despair and desperation, are trying to escape retaliation and counter-attack, whose children have grown up for decades in difficult conditions and frustration in Gaza or other parts of the Palestinian territory.

To see ourselves in their shared longing for peace and freedom. It is also about the human capacity for reconciliation and the ability to come to terms with the past. A ceasefire is not peace. A ceasefire is not a solution. The killing must come to an end. But that is not enough. When leaders deny their people the uncomfortable and difficult journey towards reconciliation, suffering is only prolonged, and violence will return. Insecurity persists.

The space for nuance, tolerance and reconciliation is rapidly shrinking as conflicts escalate. We must resist. It is also a question of the world’s ability to stand up for our common principles and values over time. Respect for international law, the UN Charter and the Declaration of Human Rights. The nations of the world have a shared responsibility to support, promote and ensure compliance. Not selectively, but always and everywhere. Children, civilians, and humanitarians must never be a target. This is a part of international law that must be respected by all parts, at all times.  

Even in the darkest darkness. In the deepest conflict. In the reign of terror. Even there, there are people who do not give up their conviction that we have more in common than what separates us. That the future is shared and must include even those who have historically been enemies. That international law applies to everyone. These people – these forces – need our continued support.

Now broaden the space for nuance and tolerance. Only from there can reconciliation and lasting peace emerge.