None Will Ever Win In Levant
By: Manas Sinha
Tags: Palestine, British, Israel, Jewish, Muslim

Know many would laugh at my naïveté. Many may consider it as an idiotic and absurd proposition yet I will write it. I think for too long, we humans have complicated situations due to our complex thinkings which otherwise could have been solved through simple way.

We all are upset at how Israel is attacking Palestine and the anger is not unjustified. But instead of grinding our political axes on a humanitarian crisis, if we are serious and sincere in attempting for a solution, we cannot put entire blame on one party as that will be the end of any resolution.

I have no doubt in my mind that being the more superior military power and for the might it has, Israel has larger responsibilities but to think that Palestinians have no responsibilities whatsoever will not lead us to anywhere.

As I always believed, digging too much of past is no good neither its good to use past as justification for present. Be it because of faulty British imperialism or be it because of the moral obligation of the west to resurrect a tremendously persecuted community, Israel was born legitimately in the land of Palestine through majority approval in UN council resolution. And seven decades have passed thereafter. So both Palestine and rest of Arab World have to wilfully accept the birth of Israel and it will only cost more if they are unable to accept so. I think in many ways that reluctance to accept Israel as a legitimate nation is at the heart of this conflict.

Since right from word go, this birth was met with hostilities, Israel always mistrusted the Arab people and as years went by, the mistrust has only grown. Israel felt threatened and to preempt it, it kept on gobbling up more and more Palestinian land under the garb of a highly racist and communal ideology which doesn’t recognise multiculturalism, a bedrock of modern society and its organisation in terms of a nation state.

As any map will show, how nefariously Israel had marginalised Palestinians into some corners and implemented a policy of apatheid between two communities, who both are citizens of same country. Ironically it may sound, the worst persecuted people of WW2 instead of being tolerant and merciful had shown the worst side of theirs for which Adolf Hitler used to despise them and the Jewish question raged through Europe for centuries together.

Israel’s ego is too strong as somewhere they are still under the false belief that they are some chosen people who are destined to rule over Levant as cited more by myth than by any true history.

Both parties while parking their individual ego could have thought who truly benefited in this constant struggle over 70–75 years. Both would have found both had suffered immensely and true peace has remained elusive. Palestinians must have suffered more but in their sufferance, Israel too could not as well breathed easy as in several parts of the world they were attacked and killed.

Its a piece of land no bigger perhaps than Uttar Pradesh state of India where both parties can peacefully coexist if they are able to forget history and start anew. Israel has to vacate land which its illegally occupying, it can ask for a global effort in ensuring complete surrender of arms and terroist activities of Palestinians groups with whom Palestinians authorities are in hand in glove or are in cahoots. In turn, Palestine has to accept the right of Israel to exist provided Israel stop its brutal Zionist policies to oppress Palestinians in their country. Both need to understand that their faiths come from same single Father and they are sister faiths which have grown side by side for years and have several common heritage and history. Some of the first Islamists were indeed Jews of Medina who took to Mohammad and Islam always recognised Moses and others as prophets no less.

The areas on which both parties have demands can be either shared or can be declared as independent nation state like say Jerusalem on which there is maximum bone of contention. I am of the view considering the massive importance of the city in all three religions, it can be declared a nation state like Vatican under the aegis of UN. UN can think of building a multi faith complex inside the holy area whereby a jewish temple of David can be constructed near to Al Asqa Mosque along with a site for Christian faith. It can be developed further as a tourist centre and revenue can be shared. Jerusalem has nurtured three great faiths and its about time it becomes a modern example of tolerance, acceptance and brotherhood.

I truly want basic human values of compassion, coexistence and cooperation should be the constituents of the new age solution of this ravaged region where the current mix of politics, persecution and perversion of human rights have become the norm.

The holy land demands humans to become humans and to not remain animals even after so many years. The region will lose in this pyrrhic victory of aggressive Israel. The world demands peace there.

© Manas Sinha, Pune, May-21