Justice or Peace? What would you choose?

This text came as a result of the recent developments in the “conflict” between Israel and Palestine and the numerous conversations I have had about this topic. But the purpose of this post is not to reflect about the “conflict”. What I would like to reflect on is something that I realized through the different conversations I have had.

Here are some observations I have made:

1. Most people take sides. They're are either pro-Israel or pro-Palestine.

2. No matter which side you are on, the driver seems to be justice. Both sides talk about injustice towards the side they support.

3. They seem to be less interested in peace. Or they are interested in the peace that will come after they receive what "they are owed".

And this is what I would like reflect on. What does it mean to prioritize justice over peace? What is the relationship between these two values?

When you are looking for justice you might be less inclined to try to understand the other side. And more inclined to argue for your side. If you're looking for peace, on the other hand, you might be more inclined to welcome and accept paradoxes.

Or is it the other way around? If you welcome and accept paradoxes you might be more inclined to prioritize peace over justice? Could it be that prioritizing peace over justice indicates a more complex way of reasoning?

To understand this in a more practical way, let’s consider our “justice” system. As the word “justice” suggests, the purpose, in a way, is to make things right. To seek what one/society is owed. We punish perpetrators for breaking the law, for doing something that is unjust. The main aim is not to understand the perpetrator or create the possibility of personal or societal peace.

How does this indicate a more complex way of reasoning? It does because justice is about keeping some form of the status quo: either our idea of what is “just” or society’s or the law’s idea of what is “just”. Peace, on the other hand, demands that we '“let go” of our personal ideology and allow it to be changed by a situation we would normally consider to be “unjust”.

But what if instead of calling it the "justice" system we called it the "peace" system? Would this create a different mindset, one what would have us ask what action will reduce conflict, instead of what action is justified?

So, regarding the relationship between justice and peace, it feels like these two values cannot be prioritized at the same time. One needs to choose - justice or peace? What do you tend to choose? And why? What does this say about your values system?