Opposing Views

The middle east. Palestinian and Israeli discussion points. Debate points? Heated argument points? No points? In the end the latter is as good a conclusion as any, isn’t it?

What progress has been made in the Palestinian/Israeli gridlock? None. Zero. Nada.

And that’s what we all get if we don’t listen to one another and offer a compromise of some value to the opposing side. If peace is what you both want, what will you give up to get it?

That is the question; that is the problem to solve.

And still, neither Palestinian or Israeli leaders are willing to give an inch.

On the one hand, Israel has more than the Palestinians and can give up something. Palestinians, on the other hand, have very little to offer.

Well, that’s not entirely true; they can and should offer a stop to the war-like hostilities. The primary problem with that, however, Palestinian authorities don’t have much control over those hostilities. They could work harder to gain that control, but ultimately it comes down to the trust of the people. Little trust exists. That’s what happens when ignorance is allowed to stand unopposed over generations of time. Hardcore hate develops. Not fertile ground for peace.

Yet, when we look over the language of this posting so far, we talk of the Palestinians, not Palestine. No such country exists. In my mind, that’s the core issue. Israel was formed by international authorities in 1948. It was formed from land once belonging to Palestine. That nation ceased to exist at that time; the Palestinian people and culture remained, of course, but not their nation in name or territory.

Warring ideologues' – mostly along religious demarcation – took issue with Israel as they always have. For thousands of years people have been against the Jews. Period. They could not bring themselves to support a nation named Israel. The hatred spanned millennia.

Along the way, the economics of oil, politics, and international skirmishes of larger powers, confused the dialog further. Today peace is still the hope of many, but continuously frustrated by those who win in a peace-absent space. Too many don’t want peace for their own selfish reasons.

This is why Israel does not trust the process of peace. They know that too many ‘others’ want Israel to go away; and those powers continue to upset the peace process.

This is not about America. It is not about Palestinians. And yet, if the Palestinians do not have a country of their own name, peace will continue to be hopeless. Palestine is a nation yet to be re-formed and well established. It ought to be. Then international powers should support Palestinian peace within its borders. Only then will the ‘other hostiles’ be pushed away long enough for Israel and Palestine to learn how to trust each other; maybe not completely, but enough to make glimmers of peace possible? Palestinian homelands should be shared with Israel for a buffer of peace; Israel should share its economic success and empower the people of Palestine toward self-sustaining economic power. Higher standards of living for Palestinians should bring dreams back to life. And those are the fuel for lasting peace.

First, get the non-Palestinian thugs out of the equation. Then work for a Palestinian state. Then lets resume peace talks.

It would also help to remove Netanyahu from his boisterous perch. With him in authority, no peace will come to anyone in the region.

Now, where was I? Opposing views. How such keep us from the peace or objective we desire.

the Palestinian/Israeli conflict is instructive on other conflicts. Those within America? How might those be described? And for how long will desired ends of all of us be denied until those nasty opposing views will allow gridlock to melt away?

Is it time to eliminate political parties in our nation in order to get representational government and processes back in productive action? I wonder. I wonder if either political party today is capable of governance. They certainly aren't capable of compromise. And that's at the heart of the issue.

January 17, 2018