As if we didn’t need another major news trauma to occupy our fearful minds, here comes that old nemesis the latest version of the Arab-Israeli conflict to bring new heights of despair to the airwaves. Of course, what we are dealing with these days is the unprovoked attack by Hamas on the state of Israel. Yes, I know using the word unprovoked here is debatable, but for now it will have to remain.
This conflict is as convoluted and complicated as it is frustrating. It is not a simple matter of just making sure the Palestinians have a homeland. If that were the case, surely a compromise satisfactory to both sides could be hammered out. I turned an International Relations class of high school seniors loose on this conflict 25 years ago and after looking at the arguments on both sides, and spending time with maps of the region, they came up with a solution that allowed Israelis and Palestinians to live and prosper side by side in the land they have both occupied for centuries. Would that this was so easy to accomplish.
What is not so easy to deal with is the mentalities both sides hold. Golda Meir, the former Israeli Prime Minister once said that you cannot talk peace with “someone who has come to kill you.” And now the media has a field day with confirmed and unconfirmed reports of atrocities. Most Americans probably don’t know the difference between the Palestinian people and Hamas, let alone the history and current status of the crisis.
So, with Ukraine suddenly on the back burner, the world watches their news anchor of choice appear under night skies covered with the sight of deployed missiles and explosions. The helmeted news reporters duck for cover, they shed a tear here and there, and report live on the 24 hour cycle. Programs are preempted, live war comes into your living room around the clock. Just in time for Halloween.
And what of innocent Palestinians who are not supporters of Hamas? The two way bloodbath that is sure to follow will, no doubt tighten the judgment of those who follow the daily array of bombings and atrocities. Who can take sides in a war that kills babies and the elderly without shame?
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