Comments on the Palestine Conflict
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It is difficult to have a reasonable discussion on the Palestine-Israel issue. Passions run very high. I guess as a Muslim I am supposed to offer support for Palestinian suffering and condemnation of Israeli brutality. Whenever events flare up in Palestine (like they have right now), there is a knee jerk response here in USA by Jews and by Muslims in passionate support of their respective co-religionists (and opposing the other). This is not very healthy. Suffering of all civilians is important and this spiraling violence has been going on far too long with no end in sight. We need to step back and take a hard look. Here are a few thoughts.
After over 40 years of violence and turmoil very little seems to have changed. It seems each side only goads the other to ever more depraved acts of violence. Over the years, both sides have committed so many acts of violence against civilians that neither has any real claim left to moral righteousness for their position. Also consider that in these intervening years others were able to find peace in places with arguably just as difficult conflicts ( like Northern Ireland and South Africa and the former Yugoslavia) while there is no peace in sight in Palestine. Each side in Palestine is very adept at blaming the other but neither has any real vision of peace. There has been a complete lack of leadership in both the Palestinians and the Israelis on how to achieve peace. A dispassionate observer would conclude that perhaps neither side really wants peace.
As an American I am concerned that we have over that past 40 years spent more aid money in this area (mainly to Israel and Egypt) than the rest of the world combined and yet there has been no progress on achieving lasting peace. Are we enabling and rewarding bad behavior and so making the situation worse? The same question goes to the American Jews and American Muslims. By our knee jerk responses are we also enabling and rewarding bad behavior and so making the situation worse?
Looking around the world, there are humanitarian issues far greater than the Palestine-Israel issue in the world today that receive a fraction of our attention. The rapid rise in grain prices and the impact on billions of poor the world over is surely a much greater crisis. Also the continuing problems in Western Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo impact far more people. Perhaps in view of the continued lack of progress in Palestine we need to focus some attention on these issues where we may have more positive impact.
Finally I would like to offer this thought from Prophet Muhammad : ”help your brother whether he is a wronged or is a wrong doer.” And he went on to explain that: “the way you support your wrong doer brother is by stopping him from that bad action”. I hope that all of us exert more influence on our co-religionists in finding peace for all in Palestine.
Khalid Shah, 50, is an American Muslim who came to the U.S. 32 years ago. He and his wife have lived in the St. Louis area since 1990, and have been active in a variety of interfaith activities as well as in the local Muslim communities. They have both spoken about Islam at a variety of houses of worship. After working as an engineer for most of his career, he is currently a small business owner. 
hs has some good historical points. The only thing I would counter with is the same thing could be said of the Bosnians and the Serbs, the Protestants and the Catholics in Ireland (not 3000 years long, but 500 years is long enough), etc who have managed to get a peace going. Hopefully that peace lasts. Peace can be accomplished, but it sure as hell isn’t easy…
Thank you to all for adding their comments. Yesterday was a very strenuous work day for me and by nightfall I was exhausted so sorry for not responding earlier. There are a number of details where my understanding of history and how events transpired is different. Mike’s comment about Palestinian’s being the media darling got me thinking. But before I go there I do want to mention that Jews in America have made great contributions to society especially how minorities are treated. They have greatly benefited from this but they have worked for causes of others very passionately. Jewish humor has also been an instrument in this cause. My friend Steve (who happens to be jewish) told this story (was it factual or fiction I don’t know. Steve told it about himself). About his Jewish family living in New York and they had a neighbor who was very prejudiced against Jews. One day the two sons came across each other in front of their houses and started staring at each other. Finally Steve said “Our house is just as good as yours” the other kid grunted “Yeah so”. Steve: “My dad has just as good a job as your day” the other kid: “yeah so”. Steve: “But infact we are better off than you”. the other kid (with a note of incredulity): “How do you figure that”. Steve: “We don’t have no damn Jews living next to us”!! Humor can expose prejudice by making it look silly and less attractive. Mark Twain in his writings did the same with slavery.
But getting back to our theme, the Palestine conflict is unique only in that it is covered here in the US differently that anywhere else in the world, including inside Israel. I would suggest anyone wanting to see an alternative view to read Norm Finkelstein’s “Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict”
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/content.php?pg=4
The Wikipedia writeup on Norm is very up to date and excellent
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Finkelstein
Norm in his book goes through very detailed examples of everything he is asserting. Alan Dershowitz is Norm’s favorite target and nemesis who is trying to stop him. But as a child of holocaust survivors Norm cannot be called anti-jewish though many Jews do treat him that way. But Norm exemplifies the characteristic of seeking truth and justice that has been the hallmark a many great Jews historically.
Two of the important points the Norm makes are: 1. The holocaust has been covered like no other human tragedy and the purpose is to keep the sense of guilt high among the western nations and this is used to make them support Israel even when Israel is acting badly. Among the facts to support that holocaust gets more coverage, Norm counted the number of movies that have been made about the holocaust which at last count was over 70 and continues to grow. Number 2 on the list of historical events is the birth and life of Jesus about which about 10 movies have been made. He mentions how even today the NY Times publishes hundreds (he has the exact figure in his book) of articles every year on the holocaust. No other human tragedy or significant event gets anywhere near this coverage.
2. There is a class of scholars (Alan Dershowitz is one) who write books in support of Israel and these books receive great literary reviews and are on the best seller list but that these works are based on complete fabrication of history. He did take Alan Dershowitz’s book ‘The Case of Israel’ apart with specific page#/Line# references and in a interesting note Alan Dershowitz confronted Norm by calling in on a radio program and in the ensuing debate when Norm asked about specific statements in the book Alan unwittingly admitted that he hadn’t read the book (that he had written!!). I think the transcript or audio of that is somewhere on the web.
So, finally, all this is to say we should never be duped by anyone or any organization and sometimes we need to recheck our sources of information.
As for the Palestine-Israel conflict, like I have stated from the beginning when I compare it to other situations, like South Africa, the conclusion I reach is that neither side is really working for peace. The atrocities of apartheid were far worse than what Palestinians are enduring. And the peace reached in South Africa is far from perfect. But with peace the ordinary people benefit, children get educated and in a few generations nations gradually improve. We can see that here in our country with the Civil Rights movement and the gradual gains made by African Americans and how this has been good for all of us.
Chuckle!
I don’t disagree with you Khalid that the Jewish community wants to keep the Holocaust in the forefront of our minds. Blacks bring up slavery in this light too. In all such cases I completely understand why any group of people would want to do that. Fear of history repeating itself is a strong motivator indeed.
I also agree that information should be checked and verified, especially if it comes from the Web.
By the way, WW II has had way more movies made about it than any other topic. I know because I think I have watched them all.
What this proves once a again we cannot have dialogue using American Values to solve a non-American issue. If we were in Texas and bombs were raining down on San Antonio would we not use American laws and diplomacy first before we amass an Army to invade Mexico and how long would we have waited a week after the first bomb. Israel doesn,t have the a partner and is a island unto itself. The Palestinian don’t have the rule of law at all.
And Bush abandoned both to fight it out. I can only hope that President Obama has guts and the wisdom to start to solve this problem, it will take all his and Hillary’s skill solve a problem where no solution but death has been the answer.
Tim,
Thank you for your response. I am in the last entry quoting Norm Finkelstein on both points. He makes a case for the Holocaust also in a separate book called The Holocaust industry. You may want to follow the links in the previous entry. You are right about WW2 though (I have seen a LOT of them too) maybe it is number 2. I will look in Norm’s book again.
Rick, Thank you for your comment. Not sure you have read all the entries but only response I have is that if we give up OUR rule of law when we are under threat that is a real problem. The application of law is most important when society is under stress. Otherwise we are letting the worst elements in our or in external sources determine our adherence to our principles and laws. By giving up our laws we are adopting the principles of those attacking us, which makes us no better than them. My whole point about the Palestine conflict. Both sides have committed a lot of atrocities (Israel may have committed more, as I said before, but I attribute that to them having more weapons). From the outside we need to focus on peace and keep asking the question of both Palestinians and Israelis “if South Africa can get to peace why can’t you?”. If we keep asking that question often enough maybe they we each start looking at their own behavior rather than keep reacting to the others and keep this tit for tat going on and on.
Khalid no one ever should give up their rights to the rule of law. Thomas Jefferson said that is the law given by nature. The rule of law needs to be put in place or you have anarchy and death which is what they have now. What needs to be imposed is the rule of law, so that legitimate grievance can be handled in a civil manner. Hopefully the Egyptians working with the EU and America can devise a new way to think and get it done.
The rule of law is needed, so parties can address their grievances in civil manor, not who has the bigger gun. School yard bully approach. Hopefully Egypt, The EU, and the US can come up with the way to make that happen. otherwise, Anarchy will continue and death will prevail
Funny thing—I have a knee-jerk need for survival. So do the Israelis. And they really REALLY get annoyed by constant rocket attacks on them [they're peculiar that way---so many Americans seem to believe that they wouldn't mind rocket attacks on American cities, if the bundist-like comments so prevalent on political forums and blogs these days is any guide], and have rightly finally decided to destroy the attackers, whatever it takes.
This is one of those fey articles that are always popping up—As though all things are equal because there are two sides. That’s crap. Israel simply isn’t going away,and as long as it’s attacked, on whatever rationale the teary-eyed care to hide behind, there will be war, and people will be killed. There’s no magic flower. From the Israeli perspective, religion has nothing to do with it. Curious that this article appears in a “religion” blog. The religious hatred resulting in political and military action is entirely one-sided: moslems against Jews.
Whatever “justice” lies in store, it will never include an arab or other moslem takeover of Israel.
Irv,
I usually ignore such hate diatribes but when it is on my blog I have to respond. Not in kind but at least hopefully bring the dialogue back to reason. Since you have clearly not read previous entries I will re-iterate. The Jewish book of History lists as the Golden Age of Judaism in Muslim Spain. That was over 500 years of history. You can see thousands of synagogues in Spain from that Muslim Age. Clearly there is no history of hatred. Secondly, it is NEVER justified to kill civilians and killing civilians never leads to any good for those doing it. Finally you confirm my main point that supporters of each side put ALL the blame on the other side and that is the main barrier to peace.