How a just peace in Palestine-Israel can save our planet
The message is that Israel-Palestine is of direct interest to all humanity and its resolution vital to peace in the world and ultimately to the health of the planet. Watch video »
The planet we call home is in trouble. Human survival depends on strong and determined global action by governments across the world. States act according to international law and work within world governing structures. Both of these have been lamed, almost mortally wounded by 70 years of Israel’s intransigence and impunity toward Palestinians and the illegal occupation of their land.
The only way to save human life on the planet is to rescue international law and global governance from near irrelevance. The best place to begin is a true and just peace in Israel-Palestine. Insisting on applying international law and an end to coddling and protecting Israel’s actions in world forums will bring back leadership and moral authority to set a new agenda for the planet.
What is at stake is no less than healing the planet. Justice in human affairs is central to maintaining the “balance of nature” which orders the health of the natural world. In this world process, justice in Israel-Palestine is the red line which will help determine if we are to progress as humanity on this planet or decline into international and planetary chaos.
Robert Massoud is Palestinian-Canadian. In 2004, he founded Zatoun to import fair trade olive oil from Palestine to serve as a symbol of light, hope and peace while supporting Palestinian farmers in their livelihood. In 2010, he founded Beit Zatoun as a open, public meeting space bringing together Toronto’s diverse communities to speak and share their issues, histories and struggles for liberation, human rights, and social justice.
Both projects are expressions of a unique message of creative participation and nonviolent resistance engaging North Americans and all communities to learn and be in solidarity with Palestine and its struggle for a just peace for Israel-Palestine.
The message is that Israel-Palestine is of direct interest to all humanity and its resolution vital to peace in the world and ultimately to the health of the planet. He believes that appreciating the enormity and wide-ranging impacts of the Israel-Palestine situation creates interest for people to self-educate which is the best path to commitment and effective civil society.
Recorded in Toronto, 8 November 2018.
