Why Peace Deals Do Not Guarantee Peace

Samuel Obedgiu

Rockets artilleries have been flying like fireworks over Israel and Gaza since Saturday 7/10/2023; the skies are tinted with dark smoke. The death tolls and numbers of casualties are sharply piling up on both sides. Already, Israel has cut off all power, water and food supplies to the world’s largest open-air prison, Gaza. No one is sure how the war will end; it could escalate or spill over to other countries.

But there is a big lesson to be learnt here by both west Asia and the world at large. Peace deals do not guarantee peace, certainly not the September 2020 Arab Israeli, also known as the Abraham Accords, which appeared to be more of a political deal signed for the purpose of creating convenience and not addressing the primary objective, which was the Palestinian question. Of course, at that point in time, the UAE wanted to leverage the Israeli powerful technology, and Israel wanted recognition, and that’s how the major issue ended up being marginalized and the minor prioritized. The dispute between Arabs and Israelis was not about technology; it was instead about Palestine, which the peace deal never dealt with.

This applies to the majority of conflicts globally. Take, for instance, that of Ukraine in early 2014, a violent escalation broke out in eastern Ukraine. The Kyiv regime was on one side, and an armed Russian separatist group was on the other side. As the fighting raged on, after the serious destruction of both lives and properties, conflicting sides held talks and eventually signed the Minsk agreement on September 5 2014. The paperwork detailed strategies for a permanent peaceful solution to prevail and persist in the region. But look at what is happening now; it has escalated into a full-scale war that has lasted for more than a year now and is affecting everyone either directly or indirectly.

Another justification for gaps and loopholes in peace deals is the unending Korean conflict. The two nations fought a war from 1950 to 1953, and after massive losses on both sides, they signed a cease-fire but not a peace deal on July 5 1953. Look at them now; they are neighbours but also very dangerous enemies. The Nagorno-Karabakh border conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the India and Pakistan conflict, name them. These unfinished conflicts ended with deals that ignored the primary problems, which could be land, race, or religious conflicts. That’s not what a peace deal means; a peace deal solves a primary problem instead of ignoring it. 

Big-power politics is another factor that really jeopardizes global security. Consider the latest havoc wrecked in Palestine since the beginning of Hamas’ Operation Aqsa Flood and Israel’s Operation Iron Sword. Undoubtedly, Hamas’s attack was not just premeditated; it was also very carefully and highly coordinated. One may ask themselves where the Hamas militia acquired all the necessary facilitations and the thousands of rockets they launched inside Israel on Saturday, October 7, 2023; well, chances are high that they could have gotten them from Iran. Just the way we look at the attacks, one would look at factors that must have pushed them to that extent, which is also the so-called big-power’s continuous support of Israel’s apartheid. In the Korean Peninsula, you have China. In Eastern Ukraine, you have Russia; these are all powerful countries that can invest a lot in conflict zones. But the most important question here is, “Who suffers in the end?”. Well, it’s the innocent children, women and elderly living in those areas.

Incomplete peace deals do not work; they only buy time. Nations should adopt an inclusive and comprehensive peace approach that will seek to tackle the real existential threats, which could give room for proper reparations or formal apologies where applicable. It’s important to address sectarian politics, bring elites and politicians to the same table, build trust that will lay a firm foundation, and forge a way forward to long-lasting peace.

For global stability, some restrictions must be implemented to help control the flow of weapons and capital. Militia groups or even some countries thrive because they get certain aid from somewhere. You may ask yourself how a country like North Korea has managed to come this far with the development of its nuclear arsenal. The answer is clear: some external assistance could have been smuggled in. Such weapons even make matters more complicated. But how best do we curb the flow of weapons if the so-called great nations stock dangerous weapons, opening to cow others with them? 

In conclusion, peace cannot be imposed. It has to be built on goodwill and cooperation with full and equal participation of all stakeholders for bloodshed to end and peace to prevail between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I think it’s time the Palestinians are allowed to speak for themselves; when they do, the other side needs to listen. Enough blood of children, women and youths has already been shed. It’s time to seek real peace.