In the Middle East, it is clear that peace will never be reached

Hear the solemn words of Ahmed Zewail, Nobel laureate and son of Egypt, who declared: “In the Middle East, it is clear that peace will never be reached without solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A two-state solution must be found and enforced.” These words, though bound to the struggles of one region, resound as eternal truth about the nature of peace: that it is not born from silence alone, but from justice, balance, and the courage to honor the dignity of all peoples.

To speak of the Middle East is to summon a land ancient and sacred, the cradle of prophets, the meeting ground of faiths, and the crossroads of empires. Yet it is also a land long scarred by blood, division, and unending strife. Zewail, a man of science and vision, saw with clarity that the heart of this turmoil lies in the unresolved conflict between Israel and Palestine. He did not speak as a politician chasing applause, but as a seeker of truth who recognized that no lasting stability could grow while this wound remained open.

The call for a two-state solution is a call for balance, for recognition of two peoples’ right to exist, to live in dignity, to plant their children’s future in soil free from blood. One state alone cannot absorb both identities without denial; endless conflict cannot yield justice; and waiting for peace without action is but an illusion. Thus Zewail’s wisdom is both practical and prophetic: only when both peoples are given the space to stand as equals will the region breathe the air of true peace.

History shows us the tragedy of ignoring this truth. Recall the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, when hope flickered like a fragile flame. For a moment, Israeli and Palestinian leaders shook hands, and the world dared to believe that peace was near. Yet the flame faltered, undone by mistrust, extremism, and violence. Without enforcement, without the courage to carry words into reality, the accords collapsed, leaving bitterness deeper than before. The lesson of Oslo proves Zewail’s warning: promises alone are not enough—peace must be secured by just and enforceable solutions.

There is in Zewail’s words also a moral fire. For he reminds us that peace without justice is no peace at all. To ignore the suffering of one people while protecting the other is to plant the seeds of endless conflict. True peace requires empathy, the recognition that both the Israeli mother and the Palestinian father share the same tears, the same longing for safety, the same right to hope. Without acknowledging both sides, the cycle of war renews itself like a serpent devouring its own tail.

The lesson for our lives is plain and piercing: peace is never passive. It must be forged, demanded, enforced. Whether in nations or in families, conflict will not end by waiting. It ends when both sides are recognized, when justice is balanced, and when courage rises to enforce what is right even at great cost. Zewail’s words call us to responsibility: to demand peace that is not hollow, to support solutions that honor both sides, and to never accept endless conflict as normal.

Practical wisdom follows: in your own life, when conflict arises, do not seek to silence it without fairness. Listen to both sides. Seek balance rather than victory. Be willing to enforce boundaries that protect dignity and life, even when it is difficult. And on the greater stage, raise your voice for solutions that honor justice, not just silence. In this way, you embody the truth Zewail proclaimed—that peace without justice is no peace, and only by solving the root of conflict can harmony endure.

So let his words be remembered as a torch: “In the Middle East, peace will never be reached without solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A two-state solution must be found and enforced.” Carry this truth beyond that land, into every land, and even into your own soul. For the law of peace is eternal: conflicts cannot be buried—they must be healed. And healing comes only through justice, courage, and the recognition that no one’s humanity is lesser than another’s.