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Middle East fence-mending

In a forward step amid a spike in West Bank violence, Israel and Palestinians at least speak about justice for innocent victims of attacks.

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Muslim worshipers offer Eid al-Adha prayers next to the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, June 28. Muslims celebrate the holiday to mark the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham to Christians and Jews) to sacrifice his son.
  • By the Monitor's Editorial Board

When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel and the Palestinian territories at the start of the year, he asked leaders to “take positive steps that could create a better path forward,” not simply avoid actions that would “add fuel to the fire.” To make his point, he promised financial relief and 4G cellular networks to the Palestinians.

Since then, the West Bank has experienced the deadliest violence in nearly 20 years with almost 200 people killed, including civilians attacking civilians.

It would be easy to condemn the causes of this spike in violence in hopes condemnation might change a decadeslong problem in the Middle East. Yet something happened this week that harks back to Mr. Blinken’s call for positive action.

On June 27, Israel’s ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, placed a telephone call to Mahmoud Abbas, his counterpart in the Palestinian Authority, to express his concern over recent attacks by “extremist” Jewish settlers on innocent Palestinians and the need to bring them to justice. He emphasized the need to thwart terrorism on both sides to prevent harm to good neighborliness.

In addition, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called one of his counterparts, Hussein al-Sheikh at the Palestinian Authority’s General Authority of Civil Affairs. He likewise expressed concern at the “rioters” among Jewish settlers and the need to bring justice. Later he said Israeli Jews “cannot behave like our enemies” in terrorizing civilians.

These public gestures of concern are, of course, merely gestures. Yet they suggest a step toward moving forward, staying connected, and treating each other as equals, not as enemies. The calls, with their tone of contrition, also might help bolster a very weak Palestinian Authority, which remains the seed for a Palestinian state, while showing a softer side to the hard-right Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The world is watching this tense crisis and asking for solutions. On Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council “called on all parties to refrain from unilateral actions that further inflame tensions.”

Conciliatory phone calls may not be enough. But in the Middle East, any humility is a start. During his call, Defense Minister Gallant wished Mr. Sheikh a happy Eid al-Adha (a Muslim holiday) and hoped the holiday “will serve as an opportunity to strengthen security and stability in the region.” Both sides cannot afford to miss an opportunity to create an opportunity.

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