SLS Web Magazine

The tension in the Middle East, in our day and age, takes as its origin a dispute common to most ancient struggles: the occupation of land. The Palestinians, with their backs to the wall, are fighting to establish their own homeland, which, at the moment, they do not have. The Israelis, on the other hand, with backs to the sea (I speak of their western border), are fighting to expand their homeland. So here is the issue: does Israel have a right to increase the size of their state, even though doing so wipes out the possibility of a Palestinian state? Or, do the Palestinians have a right to establish a nation of their own?

Let´s look at the nature of this conflict to answer these questions. Israel became a nation again in 1948. It was at that time that they declared themselves a nation in the world´s eyes. Since then, there has been unending conflict in the region, chiefly between the Jewish people and Islamics. Islamics, however, have fought to establish their own state, with the use of suicide bombings and ambush on Israeli soil. Hundreds of Palestinians have suffered as a result of their own cause. That is, suicide bombings within Israel have prompted the barbaric Israeli response, which is none other than to wage war within Palestinian territory, against the defenseless. So we see that the nature of the conflict goes in two directions: Palestinian aggression on Israeli soil, and Israeli retaliation on Palestinian soil. This being the case, the situation is in a state of deadlock; each side claims the lives of their opponents. Lives, which are, for the most part, innocent.

The human aspect of the problem is equally complicated. We see an intense hatred on the part of both Israelis and Palestinians for each other. Each ethnicity seems to have a revulsion of the other. Why this disgust between peoples? Here in America, ethnic diversity serves to promote peace. We Americans live in a country that contains nearly every ethnicity in the world: Palestinian and Jew, Asian and Latino, Black and Caucasian, etc... Although our population is speckled thus, there is an understanding and toleration among our people for each other´s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And, I might add, in times of peril, such as the recent downing of the twin towers, an astounding unity among our people. If it works here, why not abroad? If multi-ethnicity is a recipe for peace in the United States, why shouldn´t Palestinians and Israelis be able to find a similar equation of peace on their own soil?

Land, again, may be a large part of this equation. In the United States, we have many regions, divided into states, which make up one nation. In Israel and Palestine, there is one body of land apportioned for each, with no internal division. Is this why there is so much fighting? Could the simple fact that each people, Israeli and Palestinian, occupy a land that has no internal borders, be the cause of the conflict? What I am suggesting is that since each ethnicity´s land is occupied unilaterally by Israeli and unilaterally by Palestinian, in their region, the desire for accumulating greater land mass is fomented. It seems as though Israel´s hunger for a larger state, and the Palestinian desperation for one and the same, could be fueling a desire within each to increase the amount of land they call their own. What seems to be at work here is nothing new, but simply a common strain within every human: greed.

Yet we need to look at another aspect of this state of affairs, and that is, the faith question. Israel believes in their right to land based on the Biblical record. They believe that they are God´s chosen people who are commissioned by God to drive foreigners out of the Middle Eastern region, based on what the Bible says. The Bible does record, from a historical viewpoint, that God wanted the Jewish people to occupy the land flowing with milk and honey, that is, the land of Canaan. This was, based on the Biblical record, God´s commission for the Jews when they left their place of bondage, namely, Egypt. Thus, it appears that when Israel declared nation status in 1948, we can say that some leaders of their people sought to carry out this commission all over again, based on the Biblical record, and to reclaim the land that the Palestinians now hold so desperately.

The faith question is also part of the Palestinian cause as well. Palestinians believe, or I should say militant Islamics, based on their sacred text, the Koran, that to exterminate Jews in the effort to establish their homeland secures a reward of some kind from God. They hold the belief that for every suicide bombing successfully carried out, there awaits for the bomber seventy-two virgins in Heaven. They, therefore, are all the more eager to carry out this commission, since they believe that bliss awaits them for the murder of Israelis. Equally, the same quest for the occupation of Israeli territory is part of the faith question for Islamics. Their stake in the territory lies in the Holy City, Jerusalem, where there stands the mosque of their age-old religious leader, Mohammed. This man, Islamics consider, was the forerunner of their religion. They believe that the angel Gabriel, a figure in Christianity as well, dictated the Koran to Mohammed in a cave. Mohammed, in turn, miraculously wrote down all he was told, despite the fact that he was completely illiterate. And so we see the beginning of an amazingly complex question: whose faith is accurate?

Would God compose two religious texts that are directly opposed to eachother? This, in effect, is actually what has happened. The Palestinians, being so near the Israelis geographically, contend that God is with them, based on what the Koran says. Meanwhile, Israelis, in turn, believe that God is on their side, based on the Bible. Who is right? Or maybe we should ask, are either parties correct? Does God set up two sacred texts that are so radically opposed to each other? The faith question in the Middle East is so tough to answer, that perhaps the course of events will provide a glimpse into the truth about these two people and these two faiths. We can say that if peace prevails, God has brought it about. But if instability and killing continue, I would suggest, God has not brought that about, and perhaps he is not well-pleased with either side´s claim. The failure of peace does not reflect God´s failure, but, rather, man´s failure. God is the God of peace.

So I would submit, therefore, that the problem between Palestine and Israel has two heads, the occupation and possession of land, and the contradiction of two faiths. Each of these matters are enough to destabilize any region at any time, and we can thank God for our own security here in the States. At heart, finally, is the touchstone of all this: human violence. Americans, I would suggest, are on the whole a non-violent people. Yes, crimes erupt every day, but there is not a ongoing wave of killing at work all the time. No, most Americans avoid physical confrontation between and among eachother. Moreover, that kind of behavior is rigorously clamped down upon by law in our country, so no single instance of aggression can spill over into widespread violence. But in the Middle East, particularly between Palestine and Israel, there is unending violence. So much so, we can say with some degree of accuracy, that the rule of law has not been established in either of these lands. Consequently, the killing is sanctioned by the state, however covert that relationship is. But that is the truth. The Israeli officials permit the killing of Palestinians, and the Palestinian officials permit the killing of Israelis (although they deny this).

The future of the region remains up for grabs. Politically, there is hope for these two sides to achieve peace, but this is not to be a peace based on either one´s domination of the other. No, respect for each people´s customs, be they religious or social, is an effort that must be part and parcel with the quest for peace. The faith questions, if they are to remain, can be debated healthily and peacefully in forums designed specifically for such. Killing Israelis to obtain virgins in Heaven, and killing Palestinians to carry out a commission mentioned thousands of years earlier, are equally not an expression of God´s will. Peace, however, is.