Israelis and Palestinians Committed to Coexistence Must Lead the Way

By Michael Ratney
The Times of Israel
September 9, 2025

"...I spent a career in the Middle East, from Casablanca to Beirut to Riyadh. But Jerusalem was easily the most complex, the most impassioned place I ever lived. It's at the center of a land that fuels the strongest emotions, driving some literally to the brink of insanity, even to violence, and motivating others simply to leave.

“But it has also inspired a great many to stay, tenaciously, peacefully, to make their lives there. And it has inspired some - even today - to work relentlessly for coexistence because they know their common destiny and shared humanity demand nothing less...

"I derive optimism from those who not only recognize the humanity of their neighbor, of the stranger, but embrace it, celebrate it, and protect it...

"I think of the young and ambitious entrepreneurs I met from Jerusalem, from Ramallah, from Nablus and from Gaza who thought and talked just like young entrepreneurs in San Francisco or London - or Tel Aviv.

“They saw their future in innovation, in the self-respect and mutual respect that innovation and participation as equals in the global economy can yield...

"...these men and women, boys and girls, mothers and fathers all know that no future of genuine peace and prosperity and mutual respect will ever be forged by cynics."

Michael Ratney was US Consul General in Jerusalem from 2012 to 2015, Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy to Israel in 2021, and US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2023 to 2025.

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