A LAST WORD ON THE SUBJECT

I am reminded that two and a half years ago on the 11^th May 2021 I posted a blog entitled What Do We Do Now?. It was in reference to interviews, on BBC’s Newsnight, conducted by Emily Maitlis with Mr Husam Zomlot, then Palestinian Ambassador to the UK and Ms Tzipi Hotovely, then Israeli Ambassador to the UK. The blog stated, inter alia:

It was claimed they were sitting apart because of social distancing due to pandemic safeguards, but it became clear that neither would put up with sitting near the other. As Ms Maitlis moved from one interview to the other, it appeared as if she were going into a completely different room. Neither ambassador was shown in an all-encompassing shot. It was certainly better for the interviewer as otherwise the interview would have become a shouting match. It was not far off being that in any event.

 My own assessment of the event, essentially tit for tat accusations of retribution and revenge, is that Mr Zomlot spoke of deep frustration and of ineffective coping with an Israeli Government’s obstinacy. What he was essentially saying was “What else can we do but strike back, as nothing else gets us anywhere, we can’t take any more of their crap and flaunting breach of United Nation directives”. Ms Hotovely was in the perpetual Israeli acting in self-defence mode, focusing on terrorist rockets, the reason for air strikes and denial that collateral damage was the Israeli Government’s responsibility. “We care about children” she claimed, despite the death of several from the retaliatory air strike. It was primitive you kill ours; we kill yours. Shame.   

I must say that Ms Hotovely’s stubborn, blind and narrow performance was more depressing than Mr Zomlot’s emotional frustration. The ignorant arrogance of orthodox religion is what sparks and fuels the antagonism between the parties. The State of Israel must become the State of Israeli Citizens, and move away from aligning itself as a Jewish State. It must be beyond religion and be a people’s state. Only by removing religion from the equation will any progress be made in the Middle East. Let the Palestinian People be just that, Palestinians, either as full citizens of Israel, with all the protections and rights of Israeli Citizens, to participate in the Governance, economy, education and culture of an Israeli State, or be part of a Palestinian State of their own, on their own land, with all the rights State Citizenship can build and provide. 

The Israeli government has been operating under a siege mentality since 1948. They have created a siege mentality within the Palestinian community. Please, grow up, open the windows and let the light in, and leave God alone. He doesn’t need anybody’s help.

 That was two and a half years ago. This continuing tragedy is seemingly never ending. On each occasion a terrorist group takes violent action, there is an equally violent reaction. The current actions by Hamas have escalated to such extremes of brutality, thereby precipitating even greater lethal reaction by the Israeli Government, that most governments around the world are in difficulties finding appropriate counter measures to stop the slaughter. What is it about this conflict that is so difficult to bring it to a conclusion? Why is it so impossible to live in a world without feud?

There have been numerous attempts at resolving issues between nations through treaties and the establishment of unifying organisations such as the United Nations, the European Union, the World Health Organisation and other such groups; yet, none seem to have sufficient influence to prevent eruptions of violence. The majority of these eruptions appear to come about as a result of some religious zeal and fundamentalism, or at the instigation of a madman. As to religious fundamentalism, I find it difficult to understand how a belief in a God can turn the rituals surrounding that belief into an obligatory mode of living which, if not adhered to, makes the unbeliever into a pariah in need of killing or total exclusion. How do the people, mainly men, who become the leaders and influencers of these religions hold such power? Similarly, how does a person become so lauded by numbers of people, such that, they will allow his/her every whim to obliterate any rational thought?

As to madmen, I note old newsreels with crowds shouting Heil Hitler, on YouTube the so called MAGA crowd, and the current popularity and support for Vladimir Putin in Russia. Why did that happen? I also note the military and state security organisations that prop up Mr Putin, as well as the likes of the Junta in Myanmar, Lukashenko in Belarus, and so-called strongmen in other parts of the world. Again, why?

There are any number of scholars and pundits of history, philosophy, politics, and economics who are ready to explain and pontificate on the reasons why; but, although we learn about history, and nod sagely about the past, we seem to learn nothing from history. The past has nothing to do with the present and even less with the future. We still see violence, force and punishment as a deterrent to prevent individuals from doing things that are unacceptable to, what is referred to as, the public interest. Deterrents do not achieve anything. Indeed, if anything has an effect, it is austerity. One only has to note that as a result of the cost of living crisis there has been a significant increase in shoplifting. Petty theft has escalated amongst ordinary citizens who, in the ordinary course of things, would not dream of thievery as a means of survival. However, in the face of hypocrisy on the current scale by politicians, bankers and business interests, pinching a bottle of wine, a packet of meat or some such from the supermarket or local shop is no longer unimaginable. 

One would have thought that getting your fingers burnt once would stop one from repeating the behaviour that caused the burn. Apparently, not at all. If history teaches us anything it is that it repeats itself. How sad is that? 

So, there will come a time when the guns and rockets will have stopped and a form of silence will descend in the Middle East . I do not say a peaceful silence, but a form of silence. That will continue until the next time or some bolt of lightning will strike  and the region will either be completely eliminated  or actually become a promised land.