generalspeaking

Partners in Respect, Trust and Peace

Once the anticipated 'two state solution' to settle grievances by Palestinians against Israel becomes a reality, the two solitudes can settle down to enjoy a revolution of good fellowship, peace and understanding between one another.

Much as obtains at the present time, with Palestinians eager to demonstrate to their Jewish 'Semitic brethren" that they are perfectly comfortable sharing the land of both their ancestors in harmony and trust. There will come a new flowering of mutual appreciation, with a cross-fertilization of sharing and a blossoming of personal relations, economic renewal, and social intermingling.

At the present time, Palestinians - despite the their disappointment that Israel has not acted with the alacrity expected of it to voluntarily give up to the Palestinians control the Old City of Jerusalem (actually controlled by Jordan, but let's not nit-pick)- are puzzled that Jews are not eager to accommodate by ceding their most timeless and sacred site to their tender care.

Jews can be so unreasonable, all the more so when Palestinians go out of their way to extend friendship and to persuade Jews that they care deeply for the well-being of their neighbours. And respect the sacred memory of their traditional heritage, as they expect Jews to do for them.

It must have been quite the surprise for Palestinians when Jews arrived at the site of one of their signal biblical-era places of honoured memory to discover that once again, it had been vandalized. So soon after having been restored. The surrounding Arab population must feel confounded over this mystery. After all, what greeted the worshippers entering Joseph's Tomb was yet another desecration by vandals.

Having obtained special permission to visit the tomb of the Biblical Joseph in Shechem, just imagine the shock, a day after Holocaust Memorial Day. Particularly fascinating was a picture of a sword thrust through a Star of David, the agonized blood of Jews seeping from the Star, a boot stamping upon the symbol of nationhood. This augers ill, does it not?

The second intifada had seen the tomb torched by a rampaging mob of Arabs, somewhat upset over the lack of progress in the submission of the State of Israel to Palestinian demands - yet another misunderstanding. What could possibly have occasioned a re-occurrence, one wonders, at this time when the two peoples have engaged in civil talks toward settlement?

We know that the Palestinian Authority is sincere in its efforts, and we know that the Palestinians are suffering untold miseries, because they have told us so.

However, the usual good relations will soon be restored. We will overlook the occasional misunderstanding occasioned by a Palestinian attacking the odd Jew here and there, as an expression of emotional confusion, then, right? And the laws peculiar to Arabs who consider land once consecrated to Islam must remain so in perpetuity for to allow Jews to settle on sacred land is to allow an act of odious impiety in Islam.

So much so that Palestinians, even those living in Israel itself, who seek to sell their privately-owned land to a Jew are brought to justice, Arab-style, and such a violation is paid in full by the death of the offender. At the present time, such an unfortunate Palestinian does face a sentense of death for his flagrant denial of Islamic precepts. He is charged with treason, and must pay with his life.

Much as those Palestinians accused by the Palestinian Authority, Fatah and Hamas, of aiding and abetting the enemy also face immediate death. The enemy, naturally, being the neighbour, the 'occupier', the criminal presence in a land dedicated to the martyrs of Islam. Oops, slip of the tongue, another misunderstanding. Misunderstandings do and will occur, it's human nature.

We will overlook that the Palestinian Authority publishes school textbooks teaching Palestinian children to fear, blame and hate Jews. Grooms them to take their place in society by eschewing contact with Jews. The child musicians who were brought to Israel to play for Holocaust survivors now fully understand that their music teacher had forced them to take part in a dreadful miscarriage of unsupportable friendship.

We will instead, as rational, hopeful beings, consider the results of a new independent poll revealing that the vast majority of Israelis and Palestinians are willing to live alongside each other peacefully in separate states. Now that's progress. Perhaps the poll, which indicates 74% of Palestinians and 78% of Israelis are willing to accept a two-state solution, interviewed only the moderate Palestinians and Israelis.

Understandably, it's the others, that minority in whose viscera rankles the pathology of hatred for one another, and who don't at all mind sacrificing human lives to prove the level of their distemper, who give ample cause for reflection.

Labels: Israel, Middle East, Political Realities

posted by Pieface @ Saturday, April 25, 2009