Peace Revisited

Not terribly long ago I started a post about the conflict between Israel and Palestine. It was a serious mess. Posting about such a complex issue is impossible to do casually without exceptional mistakes being made. So, here I go again. But I think I have a point to make that I so rarely see expressed elsewhere.

All too often I see the conflict being traced back to the roots of the state of Israel and even beyond. As though there will be some original document or claim that will bring peace to an area that has known conflict for thousands of years. No such silver bullet will be found in the past. There may be one found in the present, but it will take moral courage and honesty that I seriously believe the people involved are unable to express. Also, we should agree on some points up front.

1: Neither side is innocent. This is a war. A slow, long-term war where each side uses the weapons it has. Just because one side has a more organized military does not mean its actions are not equally as reprehensible as the side that does not. Mutual guilt.

2: Neither side can remain true to being a religion of peace by violently cleansing the other from it's "Holy Land".

3: Neither side will accept the claims of the other on the area as a whole.

4: The international community in general desires peace between the two countries.

5: In the end, yes, they are two countries.

I contend that it doesn't matter now who started the conflict. Peace will only be achieved through non-violence. The first side willing to stop will be the side that wins public support and will be granted the security that each side claims they want. All eyes are on the middle east. As we saw today, most of the world supports Palestine in their bid for statehood.

If there were a massive, non-violent movement of civil disobedience, like the civil rights movement of America's 1960s, Israel would have to fold to pressure from around the world, even U.S. pressure. The challenge as I see it is that the radical elements of each force will not put down their arms and seek peace.

Ah well. What are you to make of the holiest land on Earth, where bloodshed is a daily occurrence.