Palestine and the Middle East
March 15, 2007
In the photo, Palestinian youths look at the blood stains of their friends who died when an Israeli tank fired on their home. Israeli youths have had to look at the same type of scene. Why do we continue to allow this to happen in our world? Where is our humanity? Where is our compassion? Read on to understand why I ask these questions and what I see as a solution.
All of my adult life has seen conflict in the Middle East. From what I know of history, this conflict is rooted in its people and religious beliefs, even between Muslims. Moreover, the events of the last fifty years of the 20th Century are defining moments that we need to look at. Looking at this short-term history, during World War II, some Arabs sided with the Axis, others with the Allies. After the war, the British withdrew from the Palestine Mandate. This was mostly due to the increasing violence and their unwillingness to commit more resources to a growing volatile situation. With the UN Partition Plan of 1947, a Jewish state was created taking around 55% of the land and the rest was given to the Palestinians. Mind you, the Palestinians had called this their land for the past six centuries. The plan was accepted by the Jewish people and naturally rejected by the Arab League. The immediate aftermath was fighting which brought about what the Jewish people call, the War of Independence. The rest is as they say, history, the Suez Crisis, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, The Lebanon War’s, the First and Second Intifada, all without real resolution or prospects for peace. Why?
I believe former President Jimmy Carter has best elucidated the core issue in his recent book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. The Nobel Peace laureate, who will always be remembered for his Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, has drawn sharp criticism for making this analogy. However, I feel his choice of terms to describe the current situation in Palestine is completely accurate. In an interview with Amazon.com, he gave this explanation on why he chose this word.
“Forced segregation in the West Bank and terrible oppression of the Palestinians create a situation accurately described by the word. I made it plain in the text that this abuse is not based on racism, but on the desire of a minority of Israelis to confiscate and colonize Palestinian land. This violates the basic humanitarian premises on which the nation of Israel was founded.”
From what I can find on the internet, here is a breakdown of deaths, for both Palestinians and Israelis, during the six-year period of 2000 to 20061. (Note: these figures are not entirely accurate, but are close enough to get an idea of the real problem.)
Total Number of Palestinian deaths = 4209
* Children: 892
* Women : 273
* Men : 3044
Palestinians killed by Jewish settlers = 72
Palestinians killed as a result of Israeli shelling = 83
Deaths as a result of medical prevention at Israeli checkpoints = 117
* Of them stillbirths (born dead at checkpoints) = 31
Number of Palestinians extra-judicially assassinated = 561
* Of them bystanders killed during extra-judicial operations: 253
Total Number Israeli deaths = 1113
* Children = 113
* Women = 305
* Men = 603
* Settlers = 213
* Soldiers = 322
A UN study declares the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip “intolerable”, with 75% of the population dependent on food aid2, and an estimated 80% of the population living below the poverty line3. The Palestinian economy had largely relied on Western aid and revenues, which has been frozen since Hamas’s victory. The situation can also be attributed to Israeli closures, for which Israel and the EU cite security concerns, specifically smuggling, possible weapons transfers and uninhibited return of exiled extremist leaders and terrorists; as well as an extremely high birth rate.
Until we find the moral courage to level the playing field, to support the Palestinian people the same way we support Israel, we will never find peace, nor will we find a solution to the terror question.
Put yourself in the shoes of a young Palestinian man. Most likely, he either is unemployed or under employed, working for literally a few dollars a day. He does not have the opportunity to further his education. He does not have the ability to take his girlfriend on a real date. He does not have a chance to change his life. He does not have hope for the future. He sees young Israeli and western men doing these things and he naturally feels animosity for them. By leveling the playing field, economically and politically, we will reduce overall animosity for United States policy and Israelis in general. Folks, this is not rocket science, it is just plain common sense.
I cannot find a way to see peace in the Middle East as long as we, the United States and Europe, have two very separate and disparate support of ALL the people there. The Arab-Israeli conflict is the linchpin to the problem. Solve this quandary and you will solve the rest of the dilemma.
If human kind is to avoid a “clash of civilizations”, then we must find it within ourselves to understand the dynamics of the Middle East problem, we must find it within ourselves to recognize the humanity of all the peoples there. We must engender dialogue, open honest discussion, and keep the lines of communication open between all parties to the region.
We need the leaders of the United States, the European Union, and the Arab League to come to the negotiating table. It is time for humanity to tell the radical fundamentalist, of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, we have had enough! It is time for mankind to put an end to this 60-year-old conflict. I fear that if we fail to do this, the human race is not long for this world.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Israeli-Palestinian_conflict
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Israeli-Palestinian_conflict#September_2006
