From the Wilderness
Torture
THE ISLAMIC/JEWISH/CHRISTIAN dilemma. There’s another war going on, or rather continuing. Go back to the end of WWII, when Israel fought for and was conceded land on the Sinai Peninsula to build a country. Palestinians, living in the area at the time, were displaced or relegated to a status little better than peons or peasants.
The war is not a war, it’s a continuing cause, and it’s deeply religious and deeply unsolvable without some sort, or a variety of, the killing of all opponents to whichever of the belief systems fighting. It’s about torture. How does any power, seeking conquest or ‘quieting’ of any sort of guerrilla war identify those particular individuals doing the leading and fighting of the war?
The human race has had torture as a part of its genetic structure from the beginning. Only within the last few hundred years has torture been converted from a form of punishing entertainment to something that is considered almost too awful to consider. But how else to get to the heads of the opposition and extinguish them? The U.S., that bastion of supposed justice around the world, restarted to approve torture in its Middle Eastern ventures, simply changing the names of the procedures to sound like they were not torture. And so, here we, and the rest of the world, again at the coming doorstep of more torture and all the waves of permanent hatred, the results of performing such actions create.
The Israelis will have to torture to subdue Hamas, but by so doing will simply kick the can down the road, as generations to come will neither forget nor forgive…and at some period of their rising success at coming back, torture those whose ancestors tortured them.
And so on…
I know centuries of conflict, oppression for all the groups through history in this area cannot be reduced so simply. There are unresolve able issues for each that preclude the other.
However. I look to the recent history of this country in creating a place where all persons can gather in security and practice whatever belief they want within the domain of law. This too can happen in the middle east if all persons are brought together in a communal space as equals.
Sounds far fetched but it works here and in every other democracy. Born from the ashes given equal status. It can occur there too.
Sounds childish and simplistic but it is the only path that does not advantage one over the other and favor violence. They can try to be civil neighbors, but the resources are not equal. They can be equal citizens under law.
Dream big, fortune favors the bold.
None of it can happen until the torture and killing stop.
Thanks James, for your usual ability to express a long and hard formed wisdom. Your own expression supports my work and belief system and who can
argue with that. I can’t. Much enjoy reading all of the work you send our way…as I am certain do the other readers.
Semper fi,
Jim
As we saw in Yugoslavia, Rwanda and countless places around the world and history this statement is unfortunately correct.
But not always.
My father flew in the heavy bombers over Germany, washed his tail gunner out of the turrret with a firehose. Did they hate thier enemy.. yes they did. No differrent in the Pacific theater.
Fast forward 75 years after the Marshall plan, those two enemies are now world economic powers and allies. My dad even sat with former Luftwaffe members and toasted comrads lost. Can we overcome hate, yes we can but it takes a plan, and a will.
After disarming Hamas, Isreal must give Palistinians a hand up to build with them the country they want or allow them to become israeli citizens. Years of oppression can be overcome with the right leadership, I look to India dominated by the British for over 100 years. Gandi led his country away from hate and they are now a powerful economy and huge presence in the world. The difference in these scenerios is they wanted the change, the palistinians do not. Isreal was attacked by 4 Arab countries on the day it was created, they have been repeatedly attacked and each time have had to fight for thier very survival. Hard for the Palistinians to claim to be oppressed when from the very first day Isreal was created they have consistently attacked, how many intifada must they live through. A political solution for an independant Palistine has been on the books from the beginning, there were to be two countries created Palistine and Isreal. The palistinians have opposed the UN resolution steadfastly, harrassed and attacked Isreal from the very begining. Isreal has no choice but to disarm Hamas and create an economic and political plan for the future Palistine. From the river to the sea… it’s obvious who has been most effective in the information arena, how historical facts have been distorted to where the aggressor is now the victim. I for the life of me cannot understand how our institutions of higher learning have adopted this mantra and allowed the distortion of history. The infitada is fueled externally by the Arab countries surrounding Isreal, they cannot destroy Isreal by force, they will do it by rot from the inside. The fight has always been brought to Isreal, they have never exported force unless attacked . Well except for that nuclear reactor thing that kept the world a bit safer a bit longer. Gaza was a by product of the unsuccessful attack against Isreal by the Palistinians and Arab nieghbours in 1948 a result of thier own aggression, time to stop the revisionist history.
When life is made better, like the Marshall plan, Gandhi’s peaceful leadership, even countries that do not have aligned religious philosophies like Japan and India can in a generation overcome historical hate.
Once more the bard responds but this time with an independent opinion about war and the current war between Hamas and Israel.
James has done his research and put down his own opinion about what has occurred over time and what is going on now, not only
over in Israel and the Gaza but in the United States. That this is a difficult subject to even bring up, much less discuss,
is rather obvious. You are a terrific writer James and I appreciate you offering your opinion, and yourself really, on
this site.
Semper fi,
Jim