The bombings of Gaza have occupied the news for the past 24 hours or so. Some 225 people killed, most of them innocents of course, the number of wounded is pegged at around 600. Always retaliation. Retaliation, retaliation. Against whom?
Israel has a difficult position, anyone will agree. The country is regularly bombarded by extremists who do not have a hope in the world of changing the situation. In fact, that is not their aim, and Israel's political leaders should know this by now. The idea is to force the hand of the other Arab nations to take a stance against Israel by inflaming the so-called "Street." Retaliation under the circumstances seems ill-advised, especially such wild bombing raids that will do just that, namely polarize the situation. It is also unfair towards the rest of the Palestinian nation and will merely perpetuate this apparently unending conflict.
One can ask, though, what has the USA done in the past 10 years? Nothing. The one nation that really has some clout in the region has been suffering a neo-conservative-evangelical fever that mixes bits of Adam Smith with Armaggedon Theory. To all his other sins, George Bush has added the one of not doing anything to rein in Israel and try to alleviate some of the legitimate Palestinian grievances. Instead, Bush Junior has been gallivanting around the planet like Monty Python's King Arthur. The fact that the Palestinian conflict is a vicious neural spot on the political map only seemed to occur to him in 2008 while he was on a quest for some success in an otherwise devastatingly poor presidency.
People have laughed at Carter for his cutesiness with Sadat and Begin at Camp David. (People have laughed at Carter for many things, but after nearly three decades of the kind of neoconservative bosh, I think some of that a lot of the hyar-hyar has stuck in people's throats ...).
It's the cause, not the symptom
Americans should remember that 9/11 did not happen in a vacuum. The cycle of revenge will continue as Hamas leaders say "until the last drop", meaning until more women, children, innocents are killed. By whom, makes no difference anymore. None. Killing the innocent benefit both sides. The Israelis can continue their terror raids, and the other side, whoever they are, may continue theirs. Everyone benefits, even the arms dealers and manufacturers. But by throwing in its lot with Israel rather than act as a genuine moderator, the USA is putting itself at risk as well, and that is something the American people do not seem to realize.
Meanwhile, it would also behoove Europe to use some of its clout to get the peace process moving again. The best solution is probably money. When people are busy earning a good living, they are less inclined toward violence. And that is where the Arab world could help. If a country can build an artificial island, as some can, it can also solve the Palestinian conflict... Of course, that would imply that the Arab world also had a stake in regional peace, which, apparently they don't. A cynical note: oftentimes, when Israel bombs the Palestinians, the price of oil goes up a little.
No comments:
Post a Comment