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Justice in the Middle East Requires Real Change
Alison Wakelin, October 21, 2023
With the murderous terrorist acts of Hamas, we have come to the end of what can be endured by a world that thought it was emerging into a time of reason and economic relations between countries, only to be plunged back into darkness. Conflicts erupt where peace was always just a thin veneer over a roiling anger and sense of injustice.
We find ourselves now confronting two major challenges worldwide. We do not have stable economic relations when gross inequality rules every nation. We cling on to the control and dominance form of government that pulls us backwards into the illusory “good old days.”
Israel and the Palestinians, of course, have on top of these issues a centuries-long trauma between them. Inequality is a glaring problem, and Israel’s current far-right government takes control and dominance to a new level. How can we imagine the pain that drives the daily conflict between the two populations of this one small country? How can we understand the pain that drives acts of desperation and murder, driving the chasm between two peoples always deeper?
With the murderous terrorist acts of Hamas, we have come to the end of what can be endured by a world that thought it was emerging into a time of reason and economic relations between countries, only to be plunged back into darkness. Conflicts erupt where peace was always just a thin veneer over a roiling anger and sense of injustice.
We find ourselves now confronting two major challenges worldwide. We do not have stable economic relations when gross inequality rules every nation. We cling on to the control and dominance form of government that pulls us backwards into the illusory “good old days.”
Israel and the Palestinians, of course, have on top of these issues a centuries-long trauma between them. Inequality is a glaring problem, and Israel’s current far-right government takes control and dominance to a new level. How can we imagine the pain that drives the daily conflict between the two populations of this one small country? How can we understand the pain that drives acts of desperation and murder, driving the chasm between two peoples always deeper?
But it is no longer a conflict between two people, because Israel is so much stronger, due to decades of policies that eradicated Palestinian input into their own lives, leaving over two million of them forced into a small, overcrowded enclave in Gaza, where unemployment and hopelessness now is their reality. Recent expansion of settlements in the West Bank, destruction of Palestinian homes and villages, and an ever-decreasing amount of land that belongs to Palestinians has only served to create more anger, and a hopeless situation where many have nothing to lose. This circumstance was ripe for exploitation by Hamas and other militant Islamic terrorists, a situation not hard to have predicted.
America and the world have to prioritize justice, not self-advantage, not their security alone. Of course, Israel should have a country, but also of course those who also live there should have self-determination, their own country, a home free from outside control. And this requires everyone to recognize first that Hamas is not Palestine. Hamas has not brought any benefit to the Palestinians in its terrorist actions.
Destruction of the Palestinian people in revenge will not solve anything, only draw in a wider conflict, involving the Arab world, Iran, Russia and China, and possible spill-over into other regions of the world. Hamas must meet justice, but over the past two decades America has just experienced the consequences of meting out justice too widely and too quickly, as it did post-9/11, and therefore should counsel wisdom.
If Israeli President Herzog would bring in a small group of stakeholders now, it could be effective in carving out a wider peace while preventing what could turn into genocide. A meeting between, for example, Herzog, former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, Vice President Kamala Harris, Egypt’s President Al-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Palestinian politician/activist Hanan Ashrawi could create a much better long-term outcome than is likely at this time. Three women and three men is a key point, because a core issue in the Middle East is the lack of equality of women. The ruling coalition in the Knesset has a mere five women, not a good sign for moderation and peace.
While two separate states may seem the only possible solution, we cannot see clearly from the outside; - all we can do is be there to safeguard both people and prevent a wider conflict. Decisions must be made by those involved - not Hamas, but the victims of Hamas. A clear plan for the future of the region will raise possible steps forward in deals to release the foreign and Israeli hostages, which surely must take precedence for now.
The world needs a powerful, safe and stable Middle East. We need all that the descendants of Abraham have to offer the world - strong intellect, technological prowess without losing the heart, a depth too easily lost by others in the never-ending quest for progress and wealth. Those who have the deepest heart also feel the deepest hurt, but must not let their deep sensitivity cause an irreversible violence and permanent split.
America and the world have to prioritize justice, not self-advantage, not their security alone. Of course, Israel should have a country, but also of course those who also live there should have self-determination, their own country, a home free from outside control. And this requires everyone to recognize first that Hamas is not Palestine. Hamas has not brought any benefit to the Palestinians in its terrorist actions.
Destruction of the Palestinian people in revenge will not solve anything, only draw in a wider conflict, involving the Arab world, Iran, Russia and China, and possible spill-over into other regions of the world. Hamas must meet justice, but over the past two decades America has just experienced the consequences of meting out justice too widely and too quickly, as it did post-9/11, and therefore should counsel wisdom.
If Israeli President Herzog would bring in a small group of stakeholders now, it could be effective in carving out a wider peace while preventing what could turn into genocide. A meeting between, for example, Herzog, former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, Vice President Kamala Harris, Egypt’s President Al-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Palestinian politician/activist Hanan Ashrawi could create a much better long-term outcome than is likely at this time. Three women and three men is a key point, because a core issue in the Middle East is the lack of equality of women. The ruling coalition in the Knesset has a mere five women, not a good sign for moderation and peace.
While two separate states may seem the only possible solution, we cannot see clearly from the outside; - all we can do is be there to safeguard both people and prevent a wider conflict. Decisions must be made by those involved - not Hamas, but the victims of Hamas. A clear plan for the future of the region will raise possible steps forward in deals to release the foreign and Israeli hostages, which surely must take precedence for now.
The world needs a powerful, safe and stable Middle East. We need all that the descendants of Abraham have to offer the world - strong intellect, technological prowess without losing the heart, a depth too easily lost by others in the never-ending quest for progress and wealth. Those who have the deepest heart also feel the deepest hurt, but must not let their deep sensitivity cause an irreversible violence and permanent split.
