December 17th, 2023
I wonder if either the Israelis or the Palestinians actually have any interest in peace. The current bloodshed and destruction in that region indicates that they do not. Peace does not just mean the absence of violence, although that is part of the word’s definition. Peace means the ability to get along with others, whether they be friends, family members, neighbors, or enemies. To get along with another human being requires compromise and some capacity to understand the other person’s viewpoint, even if it impossible to agree with it. Peace implies that there is some level of mutual respect between parties.
The Israelis and the Palestinians do not want peace. They want absolutes. They want things like total security or complete freedom. Neither side has any interest in half measures. It’s all or nothing.
From the very beginning, the reason for the State of Israel has been to provide Jews with a safe haven, some place where they could live without the fear of pogroms. I am tempted to say that Israel has been a place where the Jewish people could live in peace, but that has never been the case. Israel has always been at war to some degree. It is a garrison state like ancient Sparta. The Israelis have never known peace, so they have continually strived for absolute security.
Absolute security is a mirage. The United States learned that lesson on 9/11. The Israelis learned the same thing on October 7th of this year. The IDF, despite all of its training and weaponry, was caught off guard, and it failed to protect the population of southern Israel from the attack by Hamas. This event has shaken Israel to its core. The IDF was shown to be vulnerable. Israel’s brutal war in Gaza has been designed to prove to itself and to others that it is invincible.
The Israeli government wants to eradicate Hamas. I don’t believe that they will succeed. Yes, they have the military power to level Gaza and flood the tunnels beneath it, but that won’t give them a complete victory. Even if the Israelis kill every Hamas fighter, eventually a new generation will rise up to replace them, because the root causes for the existence of Hamas are not being addressed. The ruthless pursuit of absolute security will preclude the possibility of a lasting peace.
I have a friend with Palestinian roots. She has written to me about the war, and in particular about the oppression imposed on the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. I asked her what the solution is. This is her answer:
“One Democratic state, one person, one equal vote. Freedom to travel equally throughout the country and get an education and medical care regardless of religion. Freedom to carry arms like every single Jew. Anything less is racism.”
She also deals with absolutes, as do many of her fellow Palestinians. Her answer sounds inspiring, but vague. Much like the slogan: “Palestine free, from the River to the Sea”, it describes a future without Israel as the world knows it. Perhaps her goal is righteous, but it is also unrealistic. 78% of the population of Israel is native born. They are “Sabras”. That little slice of the Middle East is their home as much as it is to the Palestinians, and these Sabras aren’t going anywhere.
Neither are the Palestinians.
The two sides have irreconcilable goals, and neither group will give an inch in the pursuit of their aims. They are more interested in reaching an end result that is unattainable than having a modicum of peace in their lives.
Frank is Emptiness 