Yet again, the violence is escalating in Gaza and Israel. An impressive amount of rockets has been fired at the South of the Jewish State ( more on that name later ) : 70+ in the last couple of days. The Palestinian have made the killing of Judge from Jordan by Israeli soldiers at a crossing point their latest excuse despite Jerusalem offering regrets over the incident and a joint investigation to Amman ( Jordanian capital ). Truth be told, the Palestinian born judge was not the only victim of Tsahal ( Israeli army ) as a 20 year-old was also killed Monday in the West Bank. Another completely separate incident of different nature saw a drone overlooking Gaza fall and the Israeli air force bomb it in retaliation to mortar fire in the previous hours. Three members of the Islamic Jihad group died in what is more akin to “normal” conflict activities between enemy factions.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/11/world/meast/palestinians-israel-violence/
Some hot heads immediately called for an invasion of Gaza :
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.579440
Then there came a bit of hope as a cease fire was envisioned but alas as it almost always happen between the two sides, the informations were conflictual with the IDF ( Israeli Defence Force ) denying that an accord was reached
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.579573
while the Hamas recognized it but with a sort of reserve to the effect that it may strike again if needed?
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Hamas-says-rocket-fire-into-Israel-is-self-defense-345265
This is so highly emblematic of what is the enduring problem of the territorial dispute between the two protagonists. Israel controls the Palestinians and doesn’t shy from killing a few and considers that self-defence. Similarly, Palestinians think it’s OK to use bombs, mortars and rockets at Israel but that if one of those firing is killed to stop the attacks, that is unfair. Politically, Jerusalem makes regular offers for peace but always balance them with others to gain land on the Palestinian while those talking in the name of Palestine are linked to groups that want to destroy it and keeps an armed component of dubious morals ( al-Aqsa brigades ) that often wars during “peace talks”?
How much sense does it make? Clearly not enough to make things better any time soon.
And yet, it should be a good time for peace in Israel and Palestine. The 1967 borders have been painfully agreed upon by both sides. The Palestinian Authority recognized Israel’s right to exist ( which actually should have constituted a prior, sine qua non condition, the way I see it but fine ). Then, Jerusalem added a new sticking point by asking that it be recognized officially as a Jewish State ( I told you, we’d come back to that )!
What does that have to do with anything, you may ask? Well, it is one of those subtle distinctions that politicians and diplomats gather up to serve as future excuses for their possible misconduct, half tax loophole for the big corporations half since-they’re-unidentified-I-have-no-soldiers-and-all-is-legal-in-Ukraine/Crimea Putin excuse? For one, it would allow Jerusalem to negate easily the Right of Return for Palestinians that were more or less forced to leave in the last 4+ decades.
For sure, there is a Jewish Right of Return that cannot be denied but that’s not the problem. By calling itself a Jewish state, Israel ultimately aims to deny ANY return by Palestinians. And this sadly stems as a perceived necessity by the fact that neither side fully recognizes the other’s humanity. As a proof of which let me remind the reader that when someone in the Netanyahu government dared utter that some Israeli settlers might choose to remain in a re-established Palestine after peace would have been reached, voices were heard calling that an unacceptable treason inhumane in nature as they would not wish that on their “worst enemy” ( the Palestinians thus apparently being a notch above that? ) before any settlers had agreed or the Palestinian Authority time to refute the possibility!
Do you see what I mean? If it wasn’t for such folks located a little to the right of the extreme-right, the problem would be solved by now. In the Right to Return case, a gentle dreamer such as myself would easily pass a measure fixing a yearly immigration threshold in numbers to be filled first and foremost by Jews from the settlements and diaspora but giving a preference for remaining places to displaced Palestinians? Include it in an accord as “possible return right as per availability”. Anyone with half a mind would still understand that the numbers could be tweaked to leave as little opening as possible but that would fall within the normal field of manipulations of reality that politics have made us accustomed to?
Thus, no need for the Jewish State “status’? It could still be proclaimed mind you just as there are Islamic republics for instance but not as a tool to exclude people on an ethnic basis which is not quite acceptable in our modern times and understanding of human rights.
What’s more, Israel can’t seriously state such a thing since it has not solved all of its own internal “Jewish” problems. On top of Arab Israelis, there are a whole lot of citizens would are not religious? They’re not denied return right, are they? In the same vain, the bug of Ultra-Orthodox Jews exemption from military service is not solved. Yes the government is attempting to put an end to it but you can bet they will be fought over it for a long time ( and Jews are particularly resilient versus time and waiting? 😎 ).
Part of these peoples’ reasoning is indeed based on the Jewish State conundrum and the idea that if this is true then by studying the Torah and furthering knowledge of it ( mostly their particular version of that, of course ) they are protecting this “religious” state. Taking out this law definition actually makes all 3 groups mentioned above equal in citizenship. This national identity is already a fact to most Jews that still live in other modern states as France or the US, etc? Why couldn’t it be found valid in Israel as well. The long painful story of Israel as a people will after all only be realized fully when it has become a Normal Country : at peace with its neighbours and not more revered or vilified than any other save of course for those who call it home?
All in all and in all honesty, again, both sides are still for now more part of the problem than of the solution. Similarly, those that arm either side from Washington to Qatar and Iran are to blame and heck so is Egypt for not making the Sinai a controlled region of lawfulness and even Syria ( where the rockets used are believed to have been made ) where thanks to Hafez, future Hizbollah ( on his side ) and Hamas ( on the other ) are now gaining valuable experience to continue this sad situation in the Promised Land. I sincerely hope to see Israel’s unfair practices and the Palestinian hatred abide into peace that I may visit Jerusalem and Jericho and the other localities were so much of our common human history took place under proper conditions before I die. And although my demise is not planned for the near future, my life has already been long enough not to warrant any undue optimism?
Sadly yours, Tay.
Additional reading :
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/12/world/meast/gaza-israel-violence/
Definitive Lapse of Reason 