If a Palestinian flag were peacefully raised over Palestinian government offices in Jerusalem, few Arab eyes would still see Israel through a veil of hatred. The immovable obstacle to a lasting region-wide peace would be removed. While the implementation of such a framework for peace would be relatively simple, its acceptance would require a moral, spiritual and psychological transformation from both Israelis and Palestinians. Yet, given the decades of hatred, bitterness and distrust, any settlement would require such a transformation. Precisely because such a transformation would be so difficult, it is far more likely to be achieved if both peoples can be inspired by a truly compelling vision of a new society of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and human dignity, in which both peoples are winners, than if they are left to contemplate painful programmes for a new partition and an angry separation in which both peoples must regard themselves, to a considerable degree, as admitting defeat.
Peace is unimaginable on any other basis.
The writer is an international lawyer who writes frequently on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.