Peace Talks Only Way to End Israel-Hamas Conflict: Retired IDF Soldier

A retired Israeli soldier urged his country's government to bring an immediate end to the hostilities against Palestinians and engage in peace negotiations. As Israel continues its siege of Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza from which thousands of already displaced people have been forced to flee, anti-war demonstrations have erupted across Israel to demand an early end to the war and the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

Yair Bunzel, an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) veteran and anti-war activist, told China Global Television Network (CGTN) in an exclusive interview that peace talks are the only option in resolving the conflict, stressing that continuous offensives or even temporary ceasefires will only deepen mutual hostility.

"The shock is absolutely huge. It's much worse. The situation where you have millions of people, especially in Gaza, but also in the West Bank, that are under huge pressure. It's not just boiling water. It's a pressure cooker. It's sealed and the energy has nowhere to go. It must explode," he said.

"Many of us knew that, including the government, and refused to act in the right direction. Lowering the fire is not solving anything, it just takes longer for the thing to explode," he said.

Bunzel is also a member of an organization of former Israeli veterans and Palestinian civilians that, for the past seven years, has been calling for an end to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

When reviewing his former military career, Bunzel said he was forced to join the military and participated in the 1982 Lebanon War, where the brutal scenes have left him and his bosom friend indelible scars.

"I was born in Israel in 1962. Both of my parents came to Israel, Palestine, and they're both Holocaust survivors. I joined the army because it's compulsory. There was, back then, no question about joining or not joining the army. But what kind of service one chooses to do is, a lot, connected to that," he said.

"This was taken in 1980 or 1981, probably. It's a friend, came from Argentina, which I'm still in close contact until today, more than 40 years. I'm the blond one, and he's the dark [haired]. He was not physically hurt, but he experienced very traumatic experiences. To carry your friend's body on your shoulder, a lot of blood from your dead friend that you carry on your shoulder. That is his experience," he said while introducing an old photo.

Though he has endured his share of trauma as a soldier, Bunzel stressed that he recognizes that the biggest victims of war are always civilians, who will feel its malignant effects for generations to come.

"Every war is brutal, civilians are always paying the price. Every dead, injured and mentally or psychologically hurt person is a damage for generations, not just the person himself. He will give it to his children as well. In the end, you have to shut down the fire, and shutting down the fire means you sit with your enemy, and you really search for a solution, not just to gain time. Gaining time is not strategic to solve a conflict between two nations like we live for 100 years and more. I'm confident that there will be peace in the Middle East one day because most of the wars and conflicts based on national feelings are solved slowly, slowly," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)