Silent Memo: A Bittersweet Situation -- By Payman Akhlaghi (Draft 2) -- I just learned online[1] (08.02.2014) that the Israeli cabinet opted to end the fighting unilaterally, as I speculate, for both humanitarian and strategic reasons. I had held the pain of the news of the conflict quite personally, even as I tried to remain objective, and to understand the tense reality of a situation quite different than mine, which continues to affect especially many innocent people dear to me. Besides the obvious risks and undue stress that they face at any given moment, I find it quite unfair that Jews were forced at all to reach for arms and defend themselves, in the first place. And no doubt, extremely painful has been the condition of the Palestinian people, whose share of the suffering is only multiplied by the absurd cruelty of homegrown tyranny. Thus, I am relieved by the news of the cease-fire initiated by Israel. To this lay observer from afar, the endeavor, though tragic as all wars are, was a qualified success if an enhanced degree of deterrence is established to effectively thwart future attempts at violence against Israeli citizens. Needless to say, that would help save untold number of lives on both sides. If so, the approach is consistent with that taken a few years ago against the threats faced in the north of Israel; and it would be equally wise and humane, The abrupt end to the operation could also communicate that no further gains beyond a minimum of stated and implicit goals were deemed worthy of any more human loss and destruction on both sides. The outcome is not ideal from the perspective of a stable peace; but the rest may now be settled through negotiations. All things considered, I find the surprising flexibility of the Israeli leadership quite admirable. I doubt if anywhere else in the Middle East such a move would have been conceivable by a sovereign ego before thousands more were perished; and that was no exaggeration. Let us hope that this fight was the last of wars; that the rogue militant elements in Gaza will be persuaded and disarmed by international consensus, and by the will of their own people; that leaders will seek hard and find non-violent solutions for virtually all major conflicts; that calmness will be restored within those borders; that true peace will grow between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples; and that the two future states will continue to flourish independently, in a spirit of friendship and mutual cooperation. (*) The author is a musician by inclination and education. [1] Online: Haaretz, and news shared by FB Friends. © 2014, Payman Akhlaghi. All rights reserved.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 23:10:33 +0000
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