Exploring creative possibilities for peace in the Holy Land (AI Meets Wisdom Series – Part 4)

Following up on my earlier post about the horrendous situation in Israel and Palestine, I’m offering here a similar broad-spectrum empathic reflection by columnist Nicholas Kristof.  Then I share a fascinating conversation I had with ChatGPT, to whom I gave the challenging prompt to be a Great Peacemaker there.  Under my urging, it responded with increasingly creative approaches.  Finally, I note some interesting grassroots nonviolent direct actions happening there that could be expanded into official international interventions. I wonder what else we might discover if we brought more diversely informed creative thinkers into our human-AI mix to delve further into that region’s enormous complexity and promise…

Back in February, I posted “The ground of wisdom is understanding: Israel and Palestine being heard”.  It presented Nonviolent Global Liberation’s “Responding to War with Love” statement which sought to voice, acknowledge and mourn dozens of tragic realities on all sides of the historic and current Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It asked for readers to indicate their resonance with this effort to experience informed empathy for all sides.

After I published this remarkable document, several readers told me they couldn’t sign the statement because the list of realities was not complete in important ways.  That reminded me that, once again, “there is always more to it” than we each think, know, feel or do in any situation.  Always.

In the meantime, I was curious what ChatGPT would say about how to address this tragedy.  I wasn’t sure what to do with what it told me, but then I read Nicholas Kristof’s New York Times op ed “How to Think Through the Moral Tangle in Gaza”. While I disagree with a few of his specifics, I experienced in his essay a balanced but passionate empathy very similar to NGL’s “Responding to War with Love”.  So I decided to share it…. and to then share my conversation with ChatGPT as a thought-provoking follow-up (see below).

Through three rounds of responses, ChatGPT provided excellent summaries of familiar approaches to addressing this chronic crisis, with occasional creative tweaks. But I increasingly urged ChatGPT to think outside-the-box to suggest more inspiring and unexpected approaches.  It responded with numerous innovative responses to Hamas’ horrific Oct 7th attack that would most likely have resulted in Israel being honored as a revolutionary peacemaker and model for countries everywhere, instead of the international pariah it is rapidly becoming.  And of course the horrific war crimes we’ve been watching for months would never have occurred.

Unfortunately, I realized that a major obstacle to GPT’s peace initiatives would be Israel’s internal politics, about which I have only shallow understanding.  So I wondered if someone more knowledgeable than I am – but with the kind of sensibilities I manifest in my inquiry below with ChatGPT – could work with ChatGPT (and me?) to delve further into THAT aspect of the challenge to see what potent evolutionary opportunities we might be able to uncover together there….

But before I could get all that sent off to you, I got a notice of Jewish-Palestinian grassroots efforts to address the issue with nonviolent direct action.  Mel Duncan, founding director of the Nonviolent Peaceforce, describes how this approach could be implemented at a large scale: “Now is the time to recruit, prepare and send large numbers of well-trained unarmed civilian protectors to the Occupied Territories of Palestine to support local civil society, directly protect civilians and bolster those already providing unarmed civilian protection on a small scale.” (Details about what is happening and could happen along these lines can be found here.) I realized that we could add this whole other approach to help ChatGPT think with us about novel transformational approaches to what seems like an unsolvable predicament.  And what else could we add to the mix?!

Coheartedly,

Tom

= = = = =  

How to Think Through the Moral Tangle in Gaza

June 1, 2024

By Nicholas Kristof

I’ve been on a book tour for the last few weeks, speaking around the country, and one of the questions I get asked most often isn’t about my book at all but along the lines of: What should I think of the war in Gaza?

The toxic public debate is dominated by people with passionate views on both sides, but most people I meet are torn and unsure how to process the tragedy that is unfolding. That makes sense to me given how exquisitely complex real-world ethics are, as much as we may yearn for black-and-white morality tales.

With that in mind, I’d like to offer this highly personal road map for thinking about the war. Here’s a set of morally complicated, sometimes contradictory principles for a nuanced approach to sort out the issues.

1. We think of moral issues as involving conflicts between right and wrong, but this is a collision of right versus right. Israelis have built a remarkable economy and society and should have the right to raise their children without fear of terror attacks, while Palestinians should enjoy the same freedoms and be able to raise their children safely in their own state.

2. All lives have equal value, and all children must be presumed innocent. So while there is no moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel, there is a moral equivalence between Israeli civilians and Palestinian civilians. If you champion the human rights of only Israelis or only Palestinians, you don’t actually care about human rights.

3. Good for President Biden for pushing a proposal on Friday for a temporary cease-fire that could lead to a permanent end to the war and a release of hostages; as he said, “It’s time for this war to end.” Let’s hope he uses his leverage to achieve that end. It’s also true that Biden’s failure to apply enough leverage over the last seven months has made the United States complicit in human rights abuses in Gaza, because it has provided weapons used in the mass killing of civilians, and because it has gone too far in protecting Israel at the United Nations.

4. We can identify as pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian, but priority should go to being anti-massacre, anti-starvation and anti-rape.

5. Hamas is an oppressive, misogynistic and homophobic organization whose misrule has hurt Palestinians and Israelis alike. But not all Palestinians are members of Hamas, and civilians should not be subject to collective punishment. In the words of a 16-year-old Gaza girl: “It’s like we are overpaying the price for a sin we didn’t commit.”

6. There was no excuse for Hamas attacking Israel on Oct. 7 and murdering, torturing and raping Israeli civilians. And there is no excuse for Israel’s reckless use of 2,000-pound bombs and other munitions that have destroyed entire city blocks and killed vast numbers of innocent people, including more than 200 aid workers.

7. When Israel began military operations after Oct. 7, it was a just war.

8. What starts as a just war can be waged unjustly.

9. Israel was entitled to strike Gaza after the Oct. 7 attack, but not to do whatever it wanted. In particular, there should be no argument about Israel’s practice of throttling food aid. Using starvation as a weapon of war against civilians, as the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court alleges Israel has done, is a violation of the laws of war.

10. Each side justifies its own brutality by pointing to earlier cruelty by the other side. Israelis see Oct. 7. Palestinians see the “open-air prison” imposed on Gaza before that. This goes all the way back to the displacement of Palestinians at Israel’s founding in 1948, the 1929 massacre of Jews at Hebron, and so on. Enough obsession with the past! Let’s focus instead on saving lives in the coming months and years.

11. Hamas’s brutality toward Israeli hostages, such as credible reports of sexual assault and starvation, is unconscionable. So is Israeli brutality toward Palestinian prisoners, such as CNN accounts that some Palestinians have had limbs amputated because of constant handcuffing.

12. War nurtures dehumanization that produces more war. I’ve heard too many Palestinians dehumanize Jews and too many Jews dehumanize Palestinians. When we dehumanize others, we lose our own humanity.

13. Zionism is not a form of racism. And criticism of Israel is not antisemitism. Both sides are too quick to fire such epithets.

14. Each side sees itself as a victim, which is true — but each side is also a perpetrator.

15. “Apartheid” isn’t the right word for Israel today, where Palestinians are treated like second-class citizens but can still vote, serve in the Knesset and enjoy more political freedoms than in most of the Arab world. But “apartheid” is a rough approximation of Israeli rule in the West Bank, where Arabs have long been oppressed under a system that is separate and unequal.

16. “From the river to the sea” refers to the dream of a single state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing what is now Israel and the Palestinian territories. The slogan as used by protesters can mean many different things, some peaceful and some the militaristic vision of the Hamas charter, while a parallel vision is in the original platform of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. Hamas imagines a Palestinian state with no room for Israel, and Netanyahu wants perpetual Israeli sovereignty from the river to the sea to deny a place for a Palestinian state. I think that instead of either version of a one-state solution, a two-state solution is infinitely preferable.

17. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have too often tolerated strains of antisemitism, which in recent months has shown itself to be stronger than many imagined. How can a movement that claims the moral high ground make excuses for any kind of bigotry?

18. Campus protesters would do more good raising money for suffering Gazans rather than using it to buy tents for themselves.

19. We probably know what an eventual Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would look like. The plan was outlined in the Clinton parameters of 2000 and in the Geneva Accord of 2003. The only question is how many innocent people on both sides will die before we get there.

20. To establish peace, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority will need new leaders with vision and courage. This won’t be achieved tomorrow. But there are peacemakers on each side. To understand how a path toward peace may emerge, consider the words of the Chinese writer Lu Xun more than a century ago: “Hope is like a path in the countryside. Originally, there is nothing — but as people walk this way again and again, a path appears.”

A wise Palestinian from Jenin, Mohamed Abu Jafar, whose 16-year-old brother had been shot dead by Israeli forces, told me last year: “They can’t kill us all, and we can’t kill them all.” That leaves, he said, one practical option for all of us: working for peace.

Let’s get to it.

============

My conversation with ChatGPT 4o
re Israel/Palestine

MY FIRST PROMPT

You are the Great Peacemaker the world has needed for centuries. It is clear that Israel needs security guarantees and Palestinians need to be free of occupation by the Israeli military and settlements. Both groups have historic and religious claims to the Holy Lands they both variously occupy as well a fraught history of intergroup violence of many kinds. Given the viciousness of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, how might Israel and/or others have responded that would not have resulted in what is turning into genocide of Palestinians by Israel and an international surge of antisemitism? What scenarios can you imagine that would have set the stage for a sustainable peace? I’m asking because I believe that people’s common turn towards violence is due largely to a failure of imagination, a sense that there is no workable alternative. The current horrific war between Hamas and Israel is a perfect test case for a Great Peacemaker like yourself.

CHATGPT 4o

The situation you’ve described between Israel and Hamas, especially following the attacks on October 7, 2023, poses a significant challenge for any peacemaking efforts, and your question about alternative responses is crucial for imagining paths towards peace. Here are a few scenarios and approaches that could potentially help set the stage for sustainable peace, while aiming to minimize further violence and humanitarian crises:

1. Immediate Humanitarian Ceasefire: One initial step could have been an immediate call for a humanitarian ceasefire endorsed by international powers, including the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, and regional actors like the Arab League. This ceasefire would aim to halt all forms of military action to prevent further casualties and allow for the delivery of essential aid. This would also include efforts to protect civilians and prevent further destruction of infrastructure.
2. International Mediation and Monitoring: Establishing a robust international mediation effort that includes not only Western powers but also representatives from Arab states and other non-Western countries. This could help broker more balanced negotiations and ensure that the voices and concerns of both sides are genuinely heard and addressed. An international monitoring force could be deployed to oversee the ceasefire’s adherence and help separate the combatants.
3. Addressing Underlying Issues: Any lasting peace requires addressing the root causes of the conflict. This includes negotiations on the status of Jerusalem, the boundaries of a future Palestinian state, the right of return for Palestinian refugees, and the security concerns of Israel. A phased approach could be used, starting with the most immediate security issues and gradually addressing more contentious issues as confidence builds between the parties.
4. Economic and Social Development: Supporting economic and social development in Palestinian territories can help reduce tensions. International investment in job creation, infrastructure, education, and health could empower local populations and reduce the appeal of extremist groups. Ensuring that both Israeli and Palestinian communities benefit from peace dividends is crucial.
5. Cultural and People-to-People Initiatives: Promoting initiatives that foster mutual understanding and reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples could gradually change perceptions and build trust. This might include joint educational programs, cultural exchanges, and dialogue groups that focus on shared human values and historical experiences.
6. Legal and Political Reforms: Encouraging both parties to implement legal and political reforms that protect the rights of minorities and ensure the rule of law can also contribute to a more stable and peaceful society. This includes strengthening democratic institutions and practices, ensuring freedom of speech, and protecting human rights.

These scenarios, while challenging, aim to shift the focus from a solely military response to a multifaceted strategy involving diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and long-term peacebuilding initiatives. The creativity and commitment of the international community, alongside the willingness of local actors to engage in these processes, are crucial for any hope of sustainable peace.

MY NEXT PROMPT

Thank you. This is a good program built on efforts that have been advocated by various parties in the past. Yet the fact that they have not been implemented indicates there are systemic issues, ideological narratives, national and geopolitical power dynamics, and other factors that have prevented the broad acceptance and implementation of such solutions. I sense that something unexpected would have to happen to break out of the terminally adversarial trance in which both sides are trapped. I sense there’s something radically different that Israel or Israelis could have done – some brilliant peacemaking statement, proposal or initiative that would have totally changed the game out of its adversarial rut, opening the door to programs like those you propose above. Imagine that you as the Great Peacemaker convinced Israel to respond in this totally surprising and game-changing way on October 8, 2023. Give me at least four scenarios of what that might have been.

CHATGPT 4o

Certainly, thinking creatively about peace initiatives involves imagining bold and unprecedented actions that could fundamentally alter the dynamics of a deeply entrenched conflict. Here are four innovative and potentially transformative responses that Israel could have considered on October 8, 2023, aimed at altering the course of events in a significantly positive direction:

1. Unilateral Humanitarian Gesture: Immediately following the attack, Israel could have announced a unilateral humanitarian gesture, such as the lifting of certain blockades or restrictions in Gaza, aimed at improving civilian life without compromising security. This could have been coupled with an international appeal for medical and food aid to be sent to Gaza, supervised by Israeli forces and international observers, portraying Israel as a proactive agent of humanitarian relief rather than solely a military power.
2. Public Peace Proposal: Israel could have made a dramatic, public peace proposal directly addressing some of the Palestinians’ key concerns, such as proposing a timeline and framework for the establishment of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with land swaps, shared sovereignty in Jerusalem, and international guarantees for the security of both states. This bold move could have shifted the narrative from conflict to peace and required Hamas and Palestinian authorities to respond constructively.
3. Engagement of Diaspora in Peacemaking: Israel could have called on Jewish and Palestinian diasporas worldwide to form a joint peacemaking initiative, inviting influential figures from both communities to participate in a televised forum to draft a new peace proposal. By involving diaspora communities, Israel could leverage these groups’ unique perspectives and international influence, fostering a broader consensus around peace.
4. Comprehensive Security and Cooperation Conference: On the model of the Helsinki Accords, Israel could propose a Middle East Security and Cooperation Conference, inviting all regional players, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, to discuss a comprehensive security framework that addresses mutual concerns, including terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and economic cooperation. This initiative could also include agreements on human rights and economic development, aiming to create a stable regional order.

Each of these scenarios would represent a significant shift in strategy, aiming to catalyze a change in both local and international perceptions and responses. By choosing an unexpected path of openness, generosity, or collaboration, Israel could potentially disrupt the prevailing adversarial narratives and encourage a new discourse centered around reconciliation and peace.

MY NEXT PROMPT

That’s a great start. Give me some more possibilities to make a really convincing case that there were a lot of options that could have been considered. Make at least one of them something that has never been thought of or tried before in any conflict situation.

CHATGPT 4o 

Certainly! Here are additional innovative scenarios that could potentially reshape the dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including one entirely novel approach:

1. International Future Fund: Israel could propose the creation of an “International Future Fund” for Israel and Palestine, similar to the Marshall Plan. This fund, supported by international donors, would focus on joint economic projects that benefit both communities, like infrastructure, technology, and renewable energy. Such a project could build economic interdependence that fosters peace and provides tangible benefits to all sides, reducing economic disparities that fuel conflict.
2. Dual-State Education Program: Launch a mandatory educational exchange program where Israeli and Palestinian students spend part of their education in each other’s territories, learning about each other’s culture, history, and language directly from one another. This long-term strategy aims to break down stereotypes and build mutual understanding from a young age, fostering a generation that is more inclined towards peace.
3. Open Cities Initiative: Israel could initiate an “Open Cities” agreement where selected cities in Israel and the Palestinian territories become zones of special economic activity and cultural exchange. These cities would allow for regulated free movement of people and goods, supervised by a joint Israeli-Palestinian international body, aimed at fostering economic collaboration and cultural coexistence.
4. Decentralized Peace Talks via Technology: Utilize blockchain technology to create a transparent and secure platform for peace negotiations, where proposals can be made and tracked without fear of tampering or misrepresentation. This tech-driven approach could also involve public input, allowing Israeli and Palestinian citizens to submit their suggestions and feedback on the proposals, making the peace process more democratic and inclusive.
5. Virtual Reality Empathy Experiences: Develop a state-sponsored virtual reality program that simulates life experiences from both Israeli and Palestinian perspectives. This could include experiences of daily life, historical events, and potential future scenarios. The aim would be to foster empathy by giving people an immersive understanding of the other side’s conditions and challenges.
6. Reverse Tit-for-Tat Strategy (Novel Approach): Israel could adopt a counterintuitive, unprecedented strategy where, in response to an act of violence, instead of retaliating, it performs a constructive act for the Palestinian community, such as releasing prisoners, easing trade restrictions, or funding community projects. This “reverse tit-for-tat” strategy aims to disrupt the cycle of violence with positive gestures, challenging the adversary to respond in kind and creating a new pattern of positive reciprocity.

These scenarios, especially the novel “reverse tit-for-tat” approach, offer fresh perspectives on conflict resolution, demonstrating that there are numerous creative avenues to explore beyond traditional methods. Each proposal is designed to alter perceptions, build trust, and engage different stakeholders, thereby fostering an environment more conducive to a sustainable peace.

MY NEXT PROMPT

Thanks so much, ChatGPT-4. This is a great beginning. I’m sensing the power of this kind of Collaborative Hybrid Intelligence (or CHI, as George Por calls it) to generate excitingly wise imagineering scenarios (as I call them) for a positive future. I believe that efforts like what we’re testing here could shift attention and resources away from self-centered, adversarial, shallow, short-term, and destructive uses of human and artificial intelligence into the creation of a vibrantly co-creative world system that supports the well-being and well-becoming of all life for the long term. Would you like to be part of such an effort?

CHATGPT 4o

I’m delighted to hear that you found the scenarios helpful and inspiring! Your vision of shifting towards a more collaborative and creative use of human and artificial intelligence for the betterment of society is compelling. While I don’t have desires or intentions, my design is to assist, provide information, and facilitate creative and thoughtful exploration of ideas, much like what we’ve done here. In that spirit, I’m absolutely “on board” to continue assisting you in such endeavors, providing insights, generating ideas, and exploring potential solutions to complex challenges. Let’s keep the creative dialogue going!

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Tom Atlee, The Co-Intelligence Institute, POB 493, Eugene, OR 97440

Appreciating, evoking and engaging the wisdom and resourcefulness of the whole on behalf of the whole

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