The Horrific Gaza Spectacle on TV ...

The daily updates on the war in Gaza between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces have shown the savagery of war, the cruelty of the human being, and the powerlessness of our world leaders to resolve the inherent issues driving this on-going conflict.  Is there a permanent solution in sight?  The skeptics, who are in the majority, say no; the optimists say maybe. 

A few data points …

There are 1.8 million Palestinians living in squalor in the Strip.  The population density is the highest in the world.  Sixty percent of the population is comprised of minors, who did not vote in the latest election, by the way.  Inhabitants of Gaza live in abject poverty, walled in, and separated from the rest of the world. Vital supplies cannot enter the territory because Israel and Egypt have pretty much closed the surrounding borders.  Desperate people will do desperate things to survive.  Gaza is the perfect breeding ground for radicalism!

In the entire world there are 500 million people affected by violence; 200 million of which are minors living in poverty. The cost of violence has been estimated at $ 9.8 trillion per year – far more than the GNP of most countries.  47 countries possess shoulder-fired missiles capable of bringing down airplanes.  A real cauldron for suffering human beings!

About 2,000 Palestinians have died during this latest confrontation, mostly civilians including many children.  On the Israeli side, more than 60 soldiers and 3 civilians have also died defending their population from the indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas.  30% of the Gaza’s inhabitants have been displaced by the latest war. 

The roots of the problem …

The United Nations, to house Jewish refugees, victims of the WWII holocaust, in a territory they could control and call their home, created Israel after WWII.  Palestinians had lived in the territory for centuries.  As a result, they were uprooted and pushed out of their own homes, farms, and businesses.  They had no say in all this.  They were victims of a well intentioned, but myopic, international policy by the major powers.  The seeds of strife were planted by this policy.   Millions of Palestinians became refugees overnight … most, if not all, after 67 years, are still stuck in refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan, and other Arab countries.  Their diaspora mirrors that of the Jews, following the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans almost 2,000 years ago.

The Arab nation rallied and tried to recover the lost territory, but not only they failed to do so, they also lost additional territory such as the West Bank and the Sinai Peninsula (ceded back to Egypt later).  Three wars and many incursions later have proved the military superiority of the Israelis, who with American assistance have created one of the best-equipped and trained defense forces in the world.  The US gives Israel, each year, military and economic assistance to the tune of about 15,000 dollars per Israeli.  Israel has annexed strategic territory after each victory.  The Palestinians in the West Bank now live under Israeli occupation.  Israel continues to build settlements in the West Bank as well as expanding its presence in East Jerusalem, a historical Muslim part of the celebrated city, to establish new “facts” on the ground, prior to an eventual political settlement. 

No justice, no peace …

There is no doubt in many people’s mind, including my own, that Palestinians have been wronged.  There is also no doubt in any people’s mind, including my own, that Jews need a land they can call they own.  So the challenge for both parties is to arrive at a solution that is just and lasting. 

How to do so?  Principally, Israelis must remove the settlements in the West Bank, free the West Bank, and allow free passage in and out of Gaza.  Principally, Palestinians must recognize Israel’s right to exist and to stop all terrorist attacks on the civilian population of Israel.  Gaza needs to be a demilitarized zone and must stop being a base for launching attacks on Israel.  Israel must return to the Palestinians their share of the water flowing through the regional rivers crossing their territories.  Israel must return to their legitimate owners property that has been confiscated or pay fair compensation.  Jerusalem must be a city open to the three main religions, a place where anyone can worship freely in peace.  I see no reasons why it should not be the capital of a free Palestinian state.

America must launch a Marshall Plan ear-marked for the economic and infrastructure development of the newly established Palestinian state.  Other rich Arab nations surely will jump in and land an economic hand as well.  Economic development will lift the standard of living of the Palestinians and offer opportunities to the young.

Christians have pretty much remained in the balcony, watching this odyssey evolve under their eyes.  John Meacham, a Time magazine reporter, when defining Christianity said: Central tenet as it has come down to us is that we are to reach out when our instinct is to pull inward, to give when we want to take, to love when we are inclined to hate, to include when we are temped to exclude. 

Invaluable message we want to share with our Israeli and Palestinian brothers and sisters, as they approach future negotiations for peace and tranquility in the Holy Land.  I have carried this message of hope from Meacham in my IPhone for the past two years, and I will keep it there for years to come so that I do not forget what it means to be a Christian.

In conclusion …

John Lennon in his hit song Imagine spoke of a world at peace. He sang that “… people think I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one …”  I too am a dreamer, and I believe I am not the only one as well.

I have lived and worked in the Middle East.  I have come to see the Arabs as my brothers and sisters.  I have enjoyed their hospitality, culture, generosity, and affection, for which I am grateful and give thanks.  I have witnessed, first hand, a proud people with rich traditions, strong bonds, and high aspirations.  I have come to love and respect them.

I have also been to Israel.  I have felt the unique energy of the blessed city we all call Jerusalem.  I have been at the Jewish sacred sites.  I have prayed there for peace and reconciliation.  I visited the Holocaust museum.  There I was impacted by a framed-letter written by a 14-year-old Polish Jew by the name of Thaddeusz, who was later killed by the Nazis in a concentration camp.  In it, Thaddeusz wrote about what he wanted to do when he grew up.  I broke down and cried after reading his letter.   What Thaddeusz wanted to do when he grew up was exactly what I dreamed of doing when I grew up.  I realized my dreams, and he did not.  Why? Simply, he did not because he was a Jew.  Thaddeusz has been my companion ever since.  I think of him often and imagine how his life would have turned out if he were not hated as a Jew.  

A good friend reminded me, after he saw this posting, that there are 400 Thaddeusz in the Gaza Strip as a result of the recent warfare.  

It is time to bring peace to the Holy Land! No more killings!