The Middle East has been on my mind, as I’m sure on many minds, the past couple of weeks (and in many ways, years).
Other than the obvious, what has stuck in my mind as I reflect on events is how we, as a collective, forget that two or more things can be true at the same time. A sky can be gloomy and beautiful at the same time, parents can love their children and dislike them at the same time, and so on.
It can also be true that all Magas are Republicans, but not all Republicans are Magas. Just as all Hamas tend to be Palestinian, but not all Palestinians are Hamas. Or all Israelis want to live in peace, but not all want to rid the earth of Palestinians, or vice versa in that all Palestinians want to live in peace, but not all Palestinians want to rid the earth of Israelis.
That is, until recent events in the Middle East. All bets may be off on where people end in their beliefs. It all depends on the resolution of the conflict this time. The other consideration is the Middle East conflict has been going on not for decades, nor centuries, but for several millennia. It goes back even before the birth of Christ. The Jews have been persecuted, it seems, from the beginning of time by many different groups.
I’ve often wondered why the United States is such a friend to Israel, often to the extreme. Before I go on, please do not get me wrong, I am both pro Israel and pro Palestine, and also not a fan of Israel decisions or of Palestine decisions.
This past week a thought bubbled up that the U.S., and most western countries, are experiencing collective guilt.
During the Holocaust, many western countries turned a blind eye to the Nazis and their Pograms. The U.S. said no to Jewish refugees fleeing Germany during that time. The German, the Polish, and many peoples of other nations took part in the wiping of millions of Jews (and other categories of people) from the face of the earth. Memory of these actions and atrocities are still very much with us, as they should be. These memories cloud our judgement because no one wants to be a part of anything that may resemble non-support of a people so harmed by the world.
On the flip side, many western countries also hold collective bias, and I may go even so far as to say fear, against anyone of Arab descent. For one, we don’t understand the dynamics of the tribalism of the Middle East. Plus, terrorists seem to be born and grown in the cradle of the Middle East. We see this in past high-jacking of planes, of the taking U.S. hostages in Iran, of men of Saudi descent bringing about 9/11, of extreme subjugation and mutilation of women, and the recent barbarism of Hamas.
What are we to think? How do we support one over the other? How do we condone one over the other? How should we feel without offending one over the other?
As with many things, it is complicated.
But, does it have to be? Is the world, nay Israel and Gaza (and by extension, the Middle East), making it more complicated than need be?
Could it be as simple as giving the Palestinians a homeland of their own, a recognized country of their own, as was done for the Jews in the founding of Israel?
Could it be as simple as the world telling the Palestinians if they rid themselves of Hamas as their ruling class, the world will provide them the country and recognition they have been wanting?
Could it be so simple as Israel stopping their practice of building settlements in Palestinian Territories, dismantling the illegal settlements, living up to the Oslo Accords, and eliminating the practice of stealing Palestinian homes and returning them to their rightful owners?
Could it be so simple as Israel stopping with the iron fist forced upon the Palestinians and grant them basic human rights and freedoms?
Could it be so simple as the U.S. telling Israel the financial and defensive support we’ve been providing will no longer be provided unless they shift how they treat the Palestinians, allow for a Palestinian nation, and return what belongs to the Palestinians to the Palestinians, then having the U.S. follow-through on the decision dependent upon the choice of Israel?
Could it be so simple as the U.S., and other western nations, along with Israel, pledging support to rebuild Gaza and help bring them into the 21st century?
Could it be so simple as the U.S., and other western nations, along with Middle Eastern nations, pledging to help support the rebuilding of Israel after the attacks from Hamas?
Could it be so simple as a pledge by the world to recognize and publicly state both Israel and Palestine have the right to exist, to cool the rhetoric by both Israel and Arab nations toward one another?
Now, I’m not so naive as the really think the above ideas are simple by any measure of the imagination. It is always complicated when needing a full paradigm shift. To make it work, it would also mean leaders compromising, having empathy towards others, and in some cases, admitting wrong-doing in their actions over the years.
The U.S. would also have to have the fortitude to follow-through in doing what we say we will do, which unfortunately we don’t have a great track record of doing as we often think short-term versus long-term. Sadly, the current decisions and actions by the Biden administration regarding this conflict are going to have negative consequences in the 2024 election, another case of the Democrats being short-sighted and burying heads-in-sand mentality. This does not mean the Biden administration isn’t doing some good.
It has so far stopped an intense ground offense. It has gotten some U.S. hostages released. It has gotten at least some humanitarian relief to Gaza. It has condemned actions by Hamas, and criticized actions by the IDF. All good things to be sure.
The big question is, how many lives must be lost due to hatred of the other, which I’ve talked about many times before. What is the end-game that doesn’t equate to the elimination of a people and its culture? How do we know what success looks like and to whom?
How many children must die for the adults to, in reality, lose while deluding themselves they, the adults, are on the right side, have “won?”
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 