The warfare in Israel has been much on my mind. I know, the situation there appears hopelessly complicated, ancient, and mind-bogglingly unsolvable. But, for me, a handful of key ideas stand out: Although Israel has taken a drubbing in the press, I believe that the real issue in Israel is not how to enhance ‘damage control’, but how to take steps toward lasting and substantial reconciliation with Palestinian Arabs. While that sounds trite and said many times, it is, I believe, true. Ultimately, this will not be accomplished by military action or warfare. It will be accomplished, if slowly--so much needs healing--through a persistent refusal on the part of Israel to conflate and confuse the terrorist body we know as Hamas with the Palestinian people. Elected to power or not (we know how skewed and biased electoral processes can be), I am not convinced, as many are not, that Hamas represents the general will and desires of the Palestinian Arabs. As America has experienced time and again--but shows little alacrity in learning the lesson--a powerful nation cannot force a weaker nation or group to change to fit the aggressor’s ideals of what it should be. Certainly it cannot affect this kind of change through hard military action; that is akin to battling a dragon with fire, which only stokes its anger, might, raison d’etre, and appeal to a weak and frightened population. Personally, I am completely baffled by how a ‘two state solution’ in Israel might actually work, or function, on a day to day basis. But whether that is the continued model worked toward, or something else is attempted in the future, I believe that without a complete commitment on the part of Israel toward alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people and improving the quality of their lives, two things cannot happen: the nation of Israel will never achieve peace and true prosperity, and Hamas will continue to win the “hearts and minds” of some, perhaps many, Palestinians. Hamas cannot be defeated with military might; it can only be momentarily slowed down, driven underground, and pushed into temporary withdrawal. Ultimately, Hamas, or more accurately the forces that encourage its growth and flourishing, will be stopped only through the uplifting of the Palestinian people into prosperity, education, and health. I do not believe, given their recent actions, that either Hamas or the government of Israel is committed to these goals.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 16:53:03 +0000
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