Complications

[bigmacbear]

Last night I watched The National and their in-depth report about Israel's impending withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. I was thinking about writing something at the time but decided to go to bed instead.

But then this afternoon gmjambear and I were sitting at the dining-room table and there was something in the paper about the same topic. I mentioned something one of my fellow Chorines, Rev. Darrell, had to say about Israeli-Palestinian relations, based on his personal observations while he was over there, during a performance by an Israeli youth band which preceded one we were about to give in Highland Bowl a few years ago. He said that in his experience, much of the problems Palestinians had (and still have) with Israel stem not so much from religious differences as they do with mindless, unending petty bureaucracy which prevents them from holding jobs and acquiring the bare necessities.

Rev. Darrell's observations meshed with those in last night's CBC report. A specific example that aired last night was the family whose orange trees were bulldozed by the Israeli army because rebels were using the mature trees as cover to launch missiles.

Perhaps if people could see past their religious and ideological differences they would realize that on the one hand making things less secure is merely going to ensure more petty but life-threatening bureaucracy, and on the other hand resorting to petty, life-threatening bureaucracy is a sure way of making things less secure instead of more. That latter lesson is one Western governments such as the US and the UK also need to take to heart.

Comments

[teddyb.livejournal.com]

You are so right about this. I have to say I have been mystified at how easily Israeli Jews can visit the same kind of discrimination and persecution on Arabs as the Jews have endured for centuries.

Yes, I DO understand that their mindset has been shaped by years of living with terrorism.

But I simply do not understand the unwillingness to face the reality that peace will never come to the region until ALL parties are willing to seriously work for it.

I have a cousin who is a high ranking member of the hardline Likud Party, and when he was mayor of Jerusalem, I was appalled at some of the policies that seemed to be designed specifically to persecute Arabs.

Now, in his cabinet position ( and ridiculously pretentious title of "Deputy Prime Minister"), I see him and his government to be as much impediments to peace as the rock-throwing and bomb-wearing children that are used as pawns by evil clerics in Palestine.

[bigmacbear]

I did some research starting from the title "Deputy Prime Minister Israel" and found a reference to your cousin on Wikipedia.

I think I'd find it interesting to have a relative in such high public office, but I suspect that distance and disagreement would temper that interest somewhat. I'm curious whether you're on speaking terms?

[teddyb.livejournal.com]

No, and that is just fine by me. I have met and had an okay visit with his brother and his wife when they were in Ithaca doing something at Cornell, and my cousin Carol visits regularly with that whole branch of the family, with whom she is much more closely related, but I detest the Likud Party so, I am quite happy to be very distant from Ehud.

Even when he was in Toronto a year or so ago, I just couldn't bring myself to try and get in touch with him.

I don't think I'd ever be able to hold my tongue. *grin*