On Israel and the Idea of Peace

Considering today, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, I am saddened to see so much war, in order to create a so-called ceasefire and reclaim of Gaza. Today's article in The Economist really made me angry. In many ways, I still feel strongly that Israel is being defensive of its people. Often times misunderstood, the Israeli nation has been given a terrible civil liberties reputation by the international community for the many casualties in this ongoing war. However, Israelis and Palestinians are both being killed on either sides of the crossfire. It is not simply enough to show casualties for each group’s peoples. It has been said from the press that Israel has been trying to control the news coverage, sometimes with effective results. While there is much evidence to show the contrary, considering especially the aforementioned international reputation, the BBC News and other determined press organizations are trying to get the real story. These days it is nearly impossible to get a clear, objective view of any international war. (Case in point: Iraq. Afghanistan.) The intentions of the media can be just as masked as the intentions of those perpetrating such violence. The BBC News seems to have taken an ambitious effort to cover the Gaza conflict as much as possible, despite efforts to keep the press away from the conflict.

While talks have been underway at the U.N., again the United States has abstained from supporting a ceasefire in Gaza, awaiting Egyptian mediation in discussions between Hamas and Israel. The largest ally Israel has right now, the U.S. is once more taking a stand, and I am curious to see the world's reaction to the conflict, as well as the world’s response to the UN action. The Israeli military conflict appears to have stepped up its offensives, and while it is said in the name of increasing the pressure on officials to create and keep a ceasefire, I can't help wondering how more war will actually produce peace? The history of the conflict shows that Israel has used questionable tactics. Palestinians point their figures at the numbers of growing civilian injuries and deaths, while Israelis point to the smuggling of missiles through the Egyptian border.

Ms Livni, running for prime minister at the head of the Kadima Party, said Israel had set out “to change the reality” on its border with Gaza, and had done so. Hamas now understood “that Israel reacted wildly” to incessant rocket bombardment across its border, and would do so again if need be. She added that Israel is “studying various options” being discussed among diplomats to prevent Hamas rearming. The missile-smuggling trail began in Iran and could be broken before it reached the Egypt-Gaza border, she noted. Was there a chance that Egypt would “seriously” undertake, with help from other nations, to seal the smuggling tunnels beneath that border? “Yes. But will it happen? We still don’t know.”

Egypt is holding talks with Hamas officials on ceasefire terms. Officials in Cairo speak of progress but also of problems. Israeli sources play up reported differences between Hamas representatives from Gaza, who they say want an end to the fighting, and the group’s leaders in Damascus, who are said to take a tougher line. America and Germany have offered technical help to Egypt to police the tunnels. But Egypt refuses to have any international forces deployed on its side of the border, and Hamas says that foreign troops in Gaza would represent more “occupation”. Both Egypt and Israel are reluctant to reopen their 1979 Peace Treaty which sets strict limits on the number of troops that Egypt itself can deploy in the border zone.

While Germany and the U.S. are willing to help “police” this issue of smuggled missiles, what of that? What else can Israel do but continue to escalate their military operations? No, indeed. If Germany and the United States are willing to aid Israel in this effort of keeping missiles out, why are we entering a third phase in the Israeli bombardment? With 900 Palestinian casualties, this is more political than we may realize. With those in charge of the war up for reelection in places of power, can it be trusted that they will seek peace or act in self interest? It is difficult to believe there are those who have the tenacity to withstand the risks of this war, as well as make the right decisions to protect the innocent. With protests in the international community against Israeli and Hamas conflict, especially in UN vetoing nation states, (Britain, France, United States, etc.) I am not pleading for peace under pressure from these demands. I am pleading for peace because I can see death. And as a human being, I simply cannot bear to look the other way. Pretend I cannot notice the number of people who continue to be taken to refugee camps or humanitarian tents for medical attention. Many who never come home.

I must ask if there is an end of this conflict in sight. Another set of peace talks set by the Egyptians and the French. The day looms before us, and I simply wonder if people will continue to die. Of all of these articles, I was struck by a very short piece from the BBC News about medical practitioners who supposedly have turned “political” after seeing so many people dead. Watch it here. One of the doctors had a very interesting response to this assessment. He said that he is a whole person, one who is emotional, social, and political. He even believed that all of us are. Perhaps there is no reason to contradict this statement, for his point is that he cannot separate the action from the emotion he feels and the political views he adopts. The results of the war come into his tent each day, and as he runs out of medical supplies, without enough clean tools and enough humanitarian aid, people continue to rot. What do we say of this? Can we turn our backs on this truth? Forty percent of the Palestinian casualties are women and children. I am not blaming the Israelis for acting in self defense. The Hamas are a terrorist group, which I do not support. Simply because there are fewer Israeli casualties than Palestinians is not enough to judge the fault of this war. However, it does not bode well for Israel. If they continue to act offensively when the numbers of the dead continue to rise, they will not have my sympathies.