COLUMN: Israeli-Palestinian conflict … the way I see it.
I am neither a Jew, nor a Muslim; rather one who through frequent interaction with both Arabs and Jews has come to love and respect both peoples and cultures. It is indeed unfortunate that two peoples of such depth, culture and of common origin have come to despise and distrust each other in the political arena.
I say political arena because in the human context both Jews and Arabs are capable of getting along in a friendly and symbiotic relationship. I am sure there are some out there that will point out the almost eternal animosity that exists between both peoples, but the truth is that the roots of the current conflict are not measured by centuries, rather by decades.
Perhaps the confusion arises from the attempts on both sides to define the problem in religious terms. The claim on the land is made on basis of divine inheritance and the supremacy and purity of one’s religion over the other. I believe that whereas such claims may play a unifying role in the promotion of their cause, national and strategic interests play a more important role. Thus, religion is a means to an end. I am not sure that such an idea is an outrageous one when one examines carefully the outcome of the conflict. I speak of the hundreds and thousands of innocent civilians, Israelis, Palestinians and peoples around the globe who have fallen victims to the ongoing conflict in the name of national security and struggle for independence.
As of Jan. 15, more than 660 Israelis and 2,000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the Second Intifada (uprising) on Sept. 29, 2000. Per capita, in the United States, such numbers would be the equivalent of 30,804 and 166,124 Americans, respectively according to the Middle East Policy Council’s Web site at www.mepc.org. The council’s mission is to expand knowledge of the situation in the Middle East.
And the numbers continue to rise with each passing day as the blood bath continues unabated. The longer the conflict lingers, more entrenched both sides become.
Both Palestinians and Israelis are quick to point fingers at each other as originators and perpetrators of terrorism and despicable crimes. Palestinians point to the fact that terrorism was brought to Palestine by militant Zionist groups such as Irgun. It was under the leadership of Shamir and Begin (later prime ministers of the state of Israel), they argue, that terrorist acts against Arabs and others whom they saw as anti-Zionists were carried out.
In 1946, under Begin’s leadership, the Irgun blew up a wing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, where the British were headquartered. Some 90 people were killed. More recently, Ariel Sharon (the current PM of Israel) was indicted as a war criminal in a Belgian court for his acquiescence of the massacre that took place in Sabra and Shatila in 1982, where thousands of Palestinian civilians, children and elderly, women and men, were systematically eliminated.
Similarly, in pursuit of their interests, Palestinian organizations such as Fatah, Hamas, and others, have perpetuated criminal and terrorist acts. Such acts are done in addition to their struggle for reclaiming the Occupied Territories (West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem) from the state of Israel. Whereas the struggle for independence may require an armed struggle, criminal acts on innocent civilians in Israel is unjustifiable and senseless.
I am not sure that either Fatah or Hamas will ever achieve their dream of a Palestinian state and convince the world community of the legitimacy of their cause by plotting and carrying out attacks on civilians in schools, restaurants, buses or elsewhere.
Unfortunately, even as we speak, much pain and suffering is caused by a siege mentality.
Under the pretext of self-defense, Israeli soldiers shoot at 8-10 year-old children with tank ammunition. The Guardian reported over a month ago of a child who was decapitated by an Israeli tank for having thrown rocks at the Israeli soldiers. Not much later, the same newspaper reported of a suicide bombing that claimed the lives of several middle-school children as they were boarding a bus in the heart of Tel Aviv.
Is there a way out? Should the Palestinians find another homeland? Should the state of Israel cease to exist? I believe that most Israelis have come to accept the fact that Palestinians have a legitimate right to what they call their homeland. Similarly, Palestinians recognize that if they will have a state of their own, it will be one that will exist in peace and harmony with the state of Israel. Neither suicide bombings nor military incursions into civilian areas will produce such an outcome.
So what is the solution? I am afraid I don’t think I am qualified to give an answer to this question. I do know that successful outcome depends on the relationship between the two antagonists. If there is a relationship of colonial versus subservient power, the prospective is bleak.
A more equal relationship must develop between the government of Israel and the representatives of the Palestinian people. Such a relationship can only be developed by recognizing the human dignity and by acknowledging the legitimate rights of respective peoples. Maybe we can start such a process in our own campus, thus giving a spark to the faint flame of hope. At least, this is how I see it.
Medlir Mema is a senior majoring in political science. Comments can be sent to medlirm@cc.usu.edu.