Last month, I, a Palestinian of East Jerusalem, journeyed to Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutzim devastated on October 7. I came to pay my condolensces on behalf of myself and Palestinians, to share with the Israelis the grief, sadness, and sorrow of everything that has happened since that dark day.

As a person who spent all his life opening channels of dialogue with Israelis, I am one of few who can claim to be an expert on both Palestinians and Israelis—and all that they share. Both believe they are engaged in a just fight, and thus both believe they will eventually win. Both also believe the other side to be the problem—failing to see that we are each other's solution.

Knowing well both Palestinians and Israelis, I know we will work our way out of the current tragedy. We need to stop looking always backward to our dark past and shift one eye toward the future. With this eye looking to the future, we will find a political horizon in which the war is over and the hostages released.

The horrors of October 7 and of the ongoing war on Gaza do not change the fundamental facts about Israelis and Palestinians. Both will continue to live in this land. Israelis will continue to look for peace but worry about their security,........

© Newsweek