I would give anything to see this happen.
The present Israel Palestine conflict and the larger antagonism between Israelis and Arabs is a quagmire. Eerily similar to the Kashmir issue, there can be no solution to the crisis as long as both parties remain so resolutely fixed on their viewpoint, demands and ideologies.
To the people of Israel their right to reside in the holy land stems from the words of God and legal transfer of power after the expiry of the British mandate in Palestine. To the Palestinians the Israelis are committing a simple act of robbing a nation. Even moderate Palestinians turn antagonistic towards Israel because of the policies of the state. Yet we cannot say the Israeli do not have reasons behind their actions.
The Israeli Jews are a population of five million surrounded by more than three hundred million Arab neighbors. Threatened, exposed and still healing from the decimation under Nazism the Israelis naturally take security seriously. As a result they go harshly against any entity they see as a threat to their existence. The Arabs didn’t make things any better for themselves by declaring war on a nascent country barely a day into its birth. This distrust sowed early has turned in to the feud we see today.
And yet the policies of discrimination, segregation, and violence carried out by the Government of Israel remind us of another horrific government. The Israelis suffered terribly under the Nazis, maybe more than any modern people can imagine. Yet this is no excuse to now turn oppressors and do unto others what was done unto them.
The Middle East needs a touch of Gandhi. The Palestinians are oppressed but the Israelis aren’t cruel hearted demonic monsters either. Zionism is an emotional concept that any rational man can empathize with.
Given that both sides are civilized and cultured people, non violence becomes an extremely viable measure to break down barriers. If Palestinians can get these non violent measures portrayed on the international media and sensationalized they can most certainly expect moral and material support from outside. Israelis too will be sensitized to the sufferings of people who have an inalienable right to the land. The killing must stop.
While we can give different solutions to the moderates on both sides, to the radicals, the inflexible, we can say but one thing. There is no difference between an Israeli radical and a Palestinian radical. The only mark on an inhuman creature is one who is willing to kill to achieve an end. As long as both parties remain human, reason will triumph. No man can watch intense suffering of another without an emotive moment. The idea that he might have perpetrated it can only strengthen the emotion. As enough of this emotion grows, change is affected. The ultimate duty to God is to serve for the benefit of all mankind.
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