Gush Shalom, an Israeli peace organization whose name means, "The Peace Bloc," has amassed a large number of Israelis to its cause, "The establishment of two states - one Jewish and one Palestinian - living side by side in peace in what used to be Palestine." The primary enemies of Gush Shalom are those groups and individuals who disagree with its goals and its methods for achieving those goals.
Guush Shalom performs many useful services in the cause for peace. Uri Avneri, the leading writer/activist in the movement, writes his messages of achieving the desired peace with a strong pen. He describes the affronts to Arab citizens of Israel with clarity and truth. Others also write, lecture, march in parades, stand in rallies, and work to protect Arab rights in Israel and to educate to a peaceful solution to more than a century of Arab (often violoent) opposition to Zionism, the conversion of The Ancient Biblical Land of Israel into a modern homeland for the Jewish People.
The opposition to Gush Shalom can be delineated by the political parties to which those opponents attach themselves. One of the pillars of these myriad parties is a clearly stated belief that the Jews of Israel, the Israelis, have such a measure of security from Arab/Palestinian attack, that nothing be done by the State that would jeopardize the safety and well-being of its inhabitants, and further, (depending on the party or parties) that no peace agreement be entered onto that might enhance by the Arabs or the Israeli government the potential military capability of the Palestinians who would form their own state alongside Israel.
In addition, on national, ethnic, and religious sides of the conflict are extremists who see no solution that can possibly be mutually acceptable. This is disproportionately true for the religious elements on both sides of the conflict. Every rock is holy. Every trespass is a desecration. Two parties cannot occupy the same space at the same time, ever.
So, though Jewish extremists are essentially defensive, Arab extremists call for death to the Jews; an obviously incompatible situation. Herein lies the source for the enormous conflicts in Jewish life and Israeli politics. There is no apparent "Live and Let Live," on the Arab side of the conflict. The vast majority of Arabs and now Iranian Muslims and other Islamists call for death to the Jews, and the Israelis of all political stripes know this, yet GS believes there is a fair way out of the conflict. That way, according to GS, is fairly.
In the face of entrenched regimes and religiously educated populations intent on the anihilation of the Jewish People, it would appear that the fanatic idealism of GS will not provide a foundation for peace for Israel and the Palestinians. The mirage of rapprochement has borne little fruit. The polls show little trust and lots of animosity.
The questions that muat be answered before approching the peace table are these; Who erodes talk of peace? Who promotes war and hatred? Who benefits from these positions?
These are not questions of what is fair, how to redress old grievances, how to assure security, how to promote peace? These are foundational questions that address the causes of war, the incitements of hatred and terror, the issue of legitamacy. Gush Shalom's efforts to "Make Nice" have little to zero impact on the outcome of war and peace any more thasn the terror of religious belief has.
Wealth and power are the determinants of war and peace. How many religionists want peace between Islam and Judaism? How many Arab national regimes must fall before peace can realistically be discussed and achieved? How are the arms merchants to be reined in away from this wealth-producing conflict?
The crude South African expression of farting against thunder is what is taking place here. Gush Shalom is close to being irrelevant. Their goals are desireable; their nethods a mirage.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
WHEN WILL PEACE COME
LETTER TO THE NY TIMES
WHEN WILL PEACE COME -
”Carlo Strenger”s analysis, “TALKING-CURE DIPLOMACY,” omits the truism that war will continue forever because there is money to be made in it. We live in a world of constant conflict, much of it based on religious differences supported by huge amounts of money that in turn bring wealth to the few while the many are killed and dying.
The Arab-Israeli conflict will never end. All the parties to the conflict never sit at the same table. And, aside from Israel, those of the parties who do sit at the peace table have little power to affect the outcome of their meetings. That is simply because the beneficiaries of the conflict happily support it and see no good reason to end it. Only their wealth will be spilled at the peace table; not their blood. And it is the wealthy who are and control the body-politic.
So long as the Arab/Muslim world continues to show death-dealing animosity to Israel's existence, Israel will simply continue to prepare itself for war. When the bombs stop falling on Israel, when the Saudi text-books that show Israel's destruction as a good thing to young Arab minds are amended to teach peace, when the oligarchies of the Arab world show a willingness to normalize political and economic relations with Israel, when every Muslim and Arab terrorist organization created by the wealthy ceases its active war against the Jews and Israel, when the new nuclear-powered Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinajad, ceases his denial of the Holocaust to loud applause by the Muslim world, and when 85% of the Palestinians cease to wish for, work for, pray for, the destruction of Israel and death to the Jews, peace will come.
Israel’s power lies in its ability to say, “Yes.” And the Yes comes because of the benefits it can bring to those who are powerful and control the wealth of the country. Even so, were the decision in the hands of Israel's religious bloc, they and their Arab brethren in war, will operate to destroy peace.
Acceptance of the “Other,” in all its ramifications, cannot be attained through Pschology 101 nor religious teachings, through propaganda of the wealth-controlled media, through the profits of the arms makers and arms merchants, and finally, from the existing political hierarchies that control and are controlled by wealth. Rejection is the password to all peaceful manifestations. The mistrust of the other by the masses, engendered, supported, and educated by the power elites of the warring nations, will continue forever as a “necessity” of national defense, patriotism, and religious purity.
Following that state of affairs, the peace movements and the terrorist organizations serve up the citizenry of their countries as tender food for warlords, enthusiastically waving their banners, marching in rallies, occasionally contributing their lives for the cause, always unaware of the legalized power of war-mongers laughing at their naivete. For those who know, know that if by mistake peace is achieved, it will be short-lived.
WHEN WILL PEACE COME -
”Carlo Strenger”s analysis, “TALKING-CURE DIPLOMACY,” omits the truism that war will continue forever because there is money to be made in it. We live in a world of constant conflict, much of it based on religious differences supported by huge amounts of money that in turn bring wealth to the few while the many are killed and dying.
The Arab-Israeli conflict will never end. All the parties to the conflict never sit at the same table. And, aside from Israel, those of the parties who do sit at the peace table have little power to affect the outcome of their meetings. That is simply because the beneficiaries of the conflict happily support it and see no good reason to end it. Only their wealth will be spilled at the peace table; not their blood. And it is the wealthy who are and control the body-politic.
So long as the Arab/Muslim world continues to show death-dealing animosity to Israel's existence, Israel will simply continue to prepare itself for war. When the bombs stop falling on Israel, when the Saudi text-books that show Israel's destruction as a good thing to young Arab minds are amended to teach peace, when the oligarchies of the Arab world show a willingness to normalize political and economic relations with Israel, when every Muslim and Arab terrorist organization created by the wealthy ceases its active war against the Jews and Israel, when the new nuclear-powered Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinajad, ceases his denial of the Holocaust to loud applause by the Muslim world, and when 85% of the Palestinians cease to wish for, work for, pray for, the destruction of Israel and death to the Jews, peace will come.
Israel’s power lies in its ability to say, “Yes.” And the Yes comes because of the benefits it can bring to those who are powerful and control the wealth of the country. Even so, were the decision in the hands of Israel's religious bloc, they and their Arab brethren in war, will operate to destroy peace.
Acceptance of the “Other,” in all its ramifications, cannot be attained through Pschology 101 nor religious teachings, through propaganda of the wealth-controlled media, through the profits of the arms makers and arms merchants, and finally, from the existing political hierarchies that control and are controlled by wealth. Rejection is the password to all peaceful manifestations. The mistrust of the other by the masses, engendered, supported, and educated by the power elites of the warring nations, will continue forever as a “necessity” of national defense, patriotism, and religious purity.
Following that state of affairs, the peace movements and the terrorist organizations serve up the citizenry of their countries as tender food for warlords, enthusiastically waving their banners, marching in rallies, occasionally contributing their lives for the cause, always unaware of the legalized power of war-mongers laughing at their naivete. For those who know, know that if by mistake peace is achieved, it will be short-lived.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)