On May 14, 1948, there was joy and gladness when a new country called Israel got its place in the map of the world. For close to 2,000 years, the Jews were dispersed in various parts of the world.
Therefore, the founding of the new nation was their major source of joy as they hoped to get back to their land of heritage. However, the rebirth of the new country was the start of the tensions between the Jews and Arabs.
Since then, a number of world leaders have played a pivotal role in efforts of bringing peace between the Arabs and the Jews of the Middle East. Worth mentioning, the presidents of the United States have played a notable role. Despite the fact that the decades of efforts to bring peace to the region have not realized constructively gains, the efforts should not be stopped.
As the world’s superpower, the U.S. holds a special place in the issues of the world. It is the only country that its “voice” can be heard in efforts of bringing peace in the Middle East. Perhaps, the situation could have been worse if the U.S. had not been engaging the warring factions towards a lasting peace agreement.
Thus, as the international community gets involved in the crisis, it would be an offense for the U.S. to stay put. If the efforts to bring peace in the region were stopped, anarchy can be the order of the day in the region and this can be a good breeding place for terrorists who will want to avenge their anger, even on the United States. Stopping the peace efforts would also put the security of the U.S. at an increased risk.
With outside assistance, the Palestinians can build a new nation without terrorism, new leaders can come up who do not offer assistance to terrorist groups, and another type of leadership can come up with a new strategy for long-term peace. However, this can be a pipe dream if the U.S. would neglect its influence in assisting to solve the core issues of the Middle East conflict.
The Camp David Accords, signed on September 17, 1978, was an historic initiative that showed that peace in the Middle East region is possible. In signing the accord, the Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, managed to indicate to the rest of the world, but mainly to the Arab countries, that establishing a long lasting peace agreement with Israel is achievable.
In addition, it showed that the solution to the Middle East crisis would be realized only through continued efforts of communication and cooperation between the Arabs and the Israelis.
Brokered by the then President Jimmy Carter, the accords formed the foundation for the continuation of the peace negotiations in the region and it raised hopes that diplomatic channels are able to assist in bringing about an elusive peace. The accord further illustrated the growing role of the U.S. in maintaining an international balance of power.
For decades now, in spite of the intensive human efforts, Israel has never enjoyed the blessings of peace with its neighbors. The people of Middle East are longing for a time when they would be able to exist peacefully with another. However, they cannot realize this by themselves. Therefore, the international community, spearheaded by the U.S., should not stop efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.