Recent reports on the Washington Post and BBC sites leave me once again troubled with the Israeli government. It seems, that as time drags on and the roadmap becomes ever more tattered, the goverment of Israel takes on the role of brutish Goliath while the Palestinian people step into character as the meek David. Only no stone will ever topple this Goliath. Not some Kalishnakov-weilding, stone-throwing Palestinian malcontents, nor the bellicose attitude of neighboring Iran, or any other Middle Eastern state. Israel is the region’s most powerful state, if not individually, then undisputedly with the US as it’s most ardent backer.
It is exactly because of the power that Israel holds in the region that the Israeli / Palestinian conflict should not still be happening. A powerful nation with a modern army, strong economy, powerful allies, and strong infrastructure should not be involved in the systematic ghetto-ification and breaking of a people.
The majority of Palestinian’s want to coexist with the Israelis, seperated by a wall or otherwise. A minority belong to militant groups that far beyond the control of a government which for years has barely been able to fund its payroll and keep its infrastructure sound amid occupation. The government has no credibilty with the various militias in Palestine, it is consistently emasculated by Israeli military actions. It has little if any power over much of anything in the territories at this point. The Palestinian people voted for Hamas because since 1967 their situation has changed little, because of a war declared by other countries. We congratulate the Israeli government for taking unilateral steps to dismantel Gaza and West Bank settlements, but do not demand it live up to the responsibility it has to, as the more powerful nation, take the high road. Construct a wall. Construct a moat. But comply with U.N. resolutions and fall back to the pre-1967 borders, dismantle all settlements, and give-up East Jerusalem.
The longer this goes on, the more sympathetic everyday Palestinians become to armed cause, and the more the ranks swell for militant groups like the Al Asqa Martyrs Brigade and Hamas. I sometimes think that this may actually be Israel’s intention. By increasing Palestinian hostility, Israel can make small concessions such as shedding settlements too deep in Palestinian territory while constructing a barrier that sorrounds other settlements and will form an eventual de facto border. Palestinian bombings and rocket attacks will be used to solidify international support for the wall and Israel’s eventual unilateral declaration of it’s “final” borders which will undoubtedly consist of wide swatches of Palestinian land and the entirety of East Jerusalem.
There is no doubt that the targeting of Israeli civillians by Palestinian militants is wrong, but at the same time, we should recognize that the sheer number of Palestian civilian casualties during Israeli targetted killings is just as wrong. This excerpt from the BBC simply serves to illustrate what is less ear-catching than a suicide bomber on a bus, but just as repugnant:
People gathered in a clearing next to an olive grove on Tuesday to mourn the latest civilian victim of the shelling, eight-year-old Hadil Ghraben.
Israel has used self-propelled guns and planes to attack Gaza
She was watching television in her house in the northern village of Beit Lahiya when an Israeli shell came crashing through the roof, killing her instantly.
Seven of her brothers and sisters were hurt.
The Israelis admit there was no militant rocket fire from the area at the time but they say there had been earlier, and that they had been trying to deter more.
Israel must fight the militant groups on the ground, without human shields, without razing their houses and leaving an entire family homeless, without attack helicopters inadvertantly raining rockets and hell-fire on a little girl’s bedroom.
Hamas must tear a page from the IRA handbook for transitioning terrorist organizations and recognize Israel’s right to exist and embrace a political solution. The Palestinian security forces must work hand-in-hand with the IDF to capture suspected terrorists and recieving both financial and tactical support from the international community.
And all of us must demand a fair and equitable solution with no regard to politics, lobbies, allies, or past events. There are far too many innocent Palestinians caught in the middle, ordinary poor people with little control over their own lives. Isolating Hamas and the will of the Palestinian people will only breed further contempt and mistrust. It is the responsibility of Goliath to take the hand of Hamas and guide them, now is the time to help Hamas grow from its terrorist roots to the political bloom many Palestinian’s obviously believe it capable of…
Then don’t. I mean sure, you should probably learn to parallel park before they give you a license, but that would be in a perfect world. Ours is far from it, I realize; however, the sheer number of people on Call St. whose cars were hanging all out in the road was staggering. It was like a 1:1 ratio with those parked correctly.
