This is CBSI and the world. I'm John Batchel with my colleague, Hussain, Abdel-Hussein, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracy,

writing two years after the beginning of the tragedy in the Gaza and the region. There are other

conflicts here, but we're looking specifically at Gaza. What is to be done? The recommendation I have from your most recent essay, Hussain, is challenge the narrative.

What does that mean?

Well, it means to think outside the box.

I've recommended this so many times.

I've always said, why are we treating peace as the prize for agreeing on the points that are being contended?

Why not sign peace first?

And then as friends come to terms on the disagreements.

So I'm just saying all of the talks that you see now have been discussed over and again, at least since the

London Conference of 1939.

Everyone knows all the points.

Everyone knows everybody else's position.

And yet we're still at it and we're still negotiating.

So I'm saying, let's look at things differently. You know, let's start with

peace and, and, and, uh, go backwards. Uh, I think there are many ideas. The problem here is that,

uh, there's a lot of social shaming that goes on on the Arab side, you know, that I know of.

Um, and, uh, identity politics is taking over.

So most parties act as tribes.

They do not act out of national interests.

Most of the time, they act out of emotions as dictated by their national identity.

So these concepts, I think, you know, I don't want to go very deep and get away from the politics and the policies at play.

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