This Week in Peace #18: January 26, 2024
Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.
As the first month of 2024 draws to a close, we bring you updates on the state of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and Gaza, and progress towards a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
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Ukrainians balance peace and justice
This week saw the 700th day of fighting in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (although some date the start of the war to the 2014 annexation of Crimea), with no end in sight. Russia’s occupation of a significant amount of Ukrainian territory, and its desire to retain it and have it be legitimized in any postwar settlement, has been the major issue preventing peace agreements. Russia recently rejected Switzerland’s offer to host a peace summit, reiterating Russian demands including enforced Ukrainian neutrality as a condition for a peace settlement. Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Nobel Peace prize winner in 2022, recently spoke on what peace means to her. She, along with the vast majority of Ukrainians, rejects giving up territory to end the war, citing Russian abuses in occupied Ukraine. Civilians continue to suffer amid ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks, and an end to the war is needed to prevent further violence. However, any eventual peace deal must be just for the people of Ukraine, and not legitimize Russia’s illegal invasion of their territory. As Matviichuk said, an end to the fighting that rewards the invasion and occupation, or that prevents Ukraine’s ability to determine its own international alliances, would not be a true peace deal. Unfortunately, the current Russian regime is highly unlikely to agree to such terms, leaving few options for a just peace.
For more stories about Ukraine, click here. We will continue to cover this conflict and efforts to find a just peace.
Politics block a ceasefire in Gaza
Israel and Hamas remain far apart on the proposed terms of a ceasefire in Gaza, with political leaders on both sides prioritizing their own interests instead of the needs of civilians. Both sides rejected deals proposed by the other this week which would have stopped the fighting, at least temporarily. Consensus on the post-war status of the territory, and the length of a ceasefire, is proving difficult to find. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government relies on far-right extremist politicians, refuses to consider a sovereign Palestinian state, a role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, or an end to the war that leaves Hamas in power in Gaza. Hamas, whose leadership is largely based in Qatar, refuses to relinquish its control over Gaza or release any hostages without a complete ceasefire. Israel is proposing a short-term ceasefire in exchange for the release of all hostages, while Hamas rejects anything less than a permanent end to the fighting. At the moment, the two sides appear unwilling to compromise, despite the clear need for an end to violence in Gaza.
As both sides prioritize their political goals and image at the cost of prolonging the war, Palestinian civilians continue to suffer the consequences. Over 25,000, most of whom are women and children, have been killed by the Israeli campaign, likely including some of the hostages. An end to the fighting woud allow more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, restore security for civilians, and allow the decimated health and social systems in the strip to recover. The US, which has hoped to use a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia as a vehicle for an end to the war, continues to attempt to play a mediating role. This is complicated by Netanyahu’s hardline rhetoric and distrust from the Palestinian side. The US dispatched CIA director William Burns, a veteran diplomat, to help negotiate a deal between the two sides. Diplomatic engagement by the US and other regional actors, including Egypt and Qatar, has seen some success in the past, and hopefully can help push both sides to agree to a ceasefire soon.
You can read our past articles on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict here.
Armenia and Azerbaijan
Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to work towards a historic peace agreement, defying expectations of renewed conflict between the two neighbors. For years, the status of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh had caused tensions and several military conflicts between the two states. Last year, Azerbaijan invaded and swiftly occupied the territory, leading to an exodus of ethnic Armenians. Defying expectations of further conflict, the two sides have been engaged in negotiations to sign a peace treaty and resolve their territorial disputes. The two sides remain far apart on some crucial issues, and progress has not been as fast as outside observers had hoped. However, the fact that a treaty is being discussed at all is a major step forward, considering the very real possibility of full-scale war between the two neighbors last year.
Click here to read our past stories on Armenia and Azerbaijan, and here to read our story on the events in Nagorno-Karabakh last year.
Leo Weakland
Leo Weakland graduated from the George Washington University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs. He is the Development and Operations Manager for Peace News Network, and is based in Washington, D.C. Before Peace News, he worked as a Research Assistant at GWU, for a nonprofit focused on supporting veterans running for office, and interned at the Office of the General Counsel at the Centers for Disease Control.
