Positive Peace in Palestine

Definitions

Negative peace: The absence of violence and war

Positive peace: The presence of social justice, of equality, and of harmonious social relations*

Complicity: The state of being an accomplice; partnership or involvement in wrongdoing

At On Earth Peace, we learn, teach and practice dynamic forms of peacemaking which see conflict as an important tool to meet needs, address injustice, correct imbalances of power, and seek healing and reconciliation. Positive peace is the goal of OEP, framed by the writings and philosophy of Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr and his peers. 

Negative peace is often presented as something marginalized communities should accept rather than pursuing positive peace. After being arrested for nonviolent direct action in Birmingham, Alabama, MLK was countered by white clergymen for his “untimely” activism. He replied to their collective letter with the famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” with an eloquent and impassioned explanation of why it is always the right time for action. MLK says he is “not afraid of the word “tension.” “I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth” (King, 1963). 

The white clergymen speaking against King and his fellow activists agree with the concept of equality, rhetorically, but criticize the tactics used to achieve it. They preferred negative peace to positive peace. This can be seen contemporarily as well. In 2020, during the rise of pro-black activism in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others, white liberals, moderates, and conservatives alike often expressed an understanding of why Black people were upset while expressing no understanding of why nonviolent direct action was necessary. Whether people were advocating for reforming police policies, defunding the police, or altogether abolishing the police, it was all seen as too much tension and unnecessary, inconvenient unrest. 

In reality, activism is not meant to be convenient. Positive peace cannot be achieved without tension. Conflict and tension help us make progress and get to the bottom of why conditions have allowed such injustices. Domestically, we often see the concerns of Black people ignored because people do not like to be reminded of how they might be complicit in racism. To see a crowd of protesters disrupting your commute to work not only makes you late to work, it reminds you of what’s wrong in the world and the fact that your silence contributes to it. People do not want to hear that they are adding to racism when they let their co-workers or family members make racist comments. Letting racism go unaddressed to ‘keep the peace’ in relationships is negative peace.

Regarding the genocide in Palestine, we saw negative peace in the form of the ceasefire, which was eventually sabotaged and broken by Israel. The ceasefire was not only temporary but also did not work to recognize the harmful ideology and settler colonialism at the heart of Zionism and the assault on Palestine. To end injustice, we must address how we got to this reality in the first place, and prioritize the voices and experiences of those harmed, rather than the perpetrators. We can do this by listening to Palestinian activists and joining movements such as the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign and Defund Racism. 

Negative peace and complicity are parallel forms of injustice. Both negative peace and complicity are defined by the lack of action taken to counter wrongdoing. When we pay taxes to the United States government, we are complicit because our taxes contribute to police and military violence. Taxes are an especially difficult type of complicity to avoid because they are compulsory, however, there is a movement pushing for our tax dollars to be siphoned away from the death machine. 

Similar to the movement to defund police and reattribute tax dollars to community building, infrastructure, and education, Taxpayers Against Genocide (TAG) and Not My Tax Dollars, are advocating for the cessation of U.S. tax paying contributing to Israel’s genocide in Palestine. It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of such established systems, but you may find hope in reading more about some activism going on across the world. A Californian activist and retired teacher, Seth Donnelly, filed a class action lawsuit against Congressman Mike Thompson over his refusal to acknowledge his constituents’ concerns about Israel’s siege of Gaza. About 4 billion U.S. tax dollars were used for the Israeli military this past year (National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee 2025). Despite the obstacles, Mr. Donnelly and those who joined TAG are examples of promoting positive peace to stop complicity (Mondoweiss 2024). I believe we can all find inspiration in this story and take steps like this in our own local communities. 

We are all complicit in some sort of injustice. This recognition can be deeply disheartening, but we must stay vigilant and continue working for positive peace to counter that complicity. Injustice is not supposed to be easy to challenge. Complicity is easier, however, as King wrote in Stride Toward Freedom (1958), To accept injustice or segregation passively is to say to the oppressor that his actions are morally right. It is a way of allowing his conscience to fall asleep. At this moment the oppressed fails to be his brother’s keeper. So acquiescence-while often the easier way-is not the moral way.

Sources:

A New Track for Taxpayers Against Genocide

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Defund Racism

Defining Peace - Designing Peace*

Three Ways of Meeting Oppression

Complicity

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