The short answer is “never.” There may be a ceasefire to this current conflict—and we all pray that will happen very soon—but the “war” is never going to end. There are some people in the world in whom the animosity and hatred are so great that they will always be at “war” with each other, whether they are actually shooting at one another or not. And because the feelings are so bitter and run so deeply, then, even during times of “peace,” they will be seeking to break that peace when they believe a suitable, beneficial opportunity has arisen. That is the situation with the Arabs and the Jews.
They aren’t the only ones. Look at the history of Russia and the Ukraine. They have been fighting, off and on, for generations, and as long as there is one Russian and one Ukrainian on earth, they are going to fight. There may be a lull in the “shooting war” (occasionally) for a few years, but the “war” in their hearts never ends, and never will. There are African tribes that are the same. We rarely hear about them because Africa doesn’t mean much to us. But the reason that so many African nations have been, and still are, unstable is tribal warfare. It’s just shifted from the jungle to the halls of government. Some Indian tribes in America (e.g., Comanches and Apaches) were also like this. The other side was the “enemy” that needed to be obliterated. Sometimes the issues are so long-standing and ancient that the current members of the “tribe” don’t even know what they are. They just hate, fight, and kill the other tribe because, well, that’s what our tribe does. It is not, in the least, an uncommon phenomenon in human history.
And that is the situation with Palestinians (Arabs) and Jews. The Palestinian grievance is they believe Israel stole their land, and recently enough that it is still in living memory. Israel believes that God gave them that land 4,000 years ago, that it is theirs by unalienable right, and that they should possess every inch of it until the end of time. However, the disagreements are much more hoary than the recent history. Arabs and Jews have been at animosity with each other for literally hundreds of years (thousands?). That isn’t going to change overnight; it never will, any more than between Russian and Ukrainian. And the rest of the world is caught in between and suffers for it.
So, last month, Hamas saw what it thought was an opportunity to break the peace and do some damage to its most hated enemy, the Jews (Israel). Israel would like to be left alone in what they believe is their homeland, but it isn’t going to happen in the near future. And they probably aren’t terribly distraught at having to off a few Arabs. They hate each other, always have, and always will.
Barack Obama, in typical ignorant, blind, Leftist fashion, has called for a Palestinian homeland. That isn’t going to solve the problem, for the reason stated above—the Jews believe ALL of that land is theirs by God-given right. They aren’t going to give any of it away, especially not to Palestinian Arabs. If Israel IS forced—and it will only be by force—to give the Palestinians a “homeland” on territory that Israel believes belongs to itself, then Israel will bide its time, waiting for a propitious opening to seize the land back again. More war.
If the Palestinians do, finally, give up, and leave Israel or accept that they will never have a “homeland” on that piece of earthen geography, then there will be, in the future, another reason brought forth to continue the tragic, never-ending conflict between these two peoples. The “homeland” question is just the current, visible manifestation. The dispute emanates from much deeper concerns, long-enduring, and with their true source in the human heart. Bombs and bullets can only put a temporary band-aid on the problem; they cannot fully solve conundrums that are rooted deep in human history and animosity, not without total genocide.
So. Another conflict between Arab and Jew. It’s tragic, it’s horrible, and it shouldn’t be ignored. But a little historical perspective would help, too. Hopefully, there will be a ceasefire in this war soon.
A ceasefire until one side or the other sees the next golden opportunity to assault its despised foe. There will never be a true “peace” in the Middle East.
Listen to my podcasts on “Wisdom From Our Founders” (paid subscribers only, sorry) on my substack mklewis929.substack.com. You want to hear that. Many other articles/podcasts as well (free). Read my western novels, Whitewater , River Bend, Return to River Bend, and Allie’s Dilemma all available on Amazon. Follow me on Twitter: @thailandmkl.
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