Hiba Qasas

You start to recognize how much in common.

When it comes to finding common ground, I find that the most entry points are around self-interest.

But we have to be also careful that it's enlightened self-interest.

You know, it's not the path and the destination.

I mean, this is a very difficult question.

You always have maximalists on both sides.

In every conflict I've dealt with, you always have people who have maximalist positions.

But what we know, and I'll keep it very concrete in this case...

You know, the status quo was not seen as sustainable.

It all shattered on October 7th.

And it was very clear that the idea that you could achieve security through force and military strategy failed on its face.

So what we were appealing with the idea of starting with self-interest is...

is actually to start from that common denominator that the status quo is not sustainable because it's not delivering security to the Israelis or an end to the occupation to the Palestinians.

So there needs to be another path.

Then you build from that.

Of course, if you're confronted with people who deny the existence of the other,

then you need to do a lot of work for people to understand that that's actually what failed.

So I think, you know, one of the things in this effort that I've leveraged as an insider mediator, because I think I play it a little bit differently since I'm involved in this conflict and been affected by it,

is really to try and appeal to the head and the heart at the same time, but making that entry point self-interest.

But really trying to, you know, in a balanced way to look at the head and the heart.