As I was making my way slowly through London’s Imperial War Museum’s Holocaust section, I couldn’t help but feel sick to the stomach with all the pictures, videos and survivors’ testimonials. It is without any doubt that what the Nazis have done throughout the duration of their existence remains as one of the most horrendous actions against humanity. The Holocaust section of the museum is perfectly designed to stir a mixture of feelings among its visitors including anger, disgust, hatred, sympathy and sadness. Emotions usually climax to reach their peak as visitors take a turn to learn more about the steps through which the Holocaust process was completed. I left that part of the museum with a clear understanding of why Jews around the world commemorate the Nazi crime every year with tearful prayers.
But then I started looking back at the course of history and reflecting on the thousands of bloody and indescribable crimes humans have committed against each other since their existence: the Ottomans and the Armenians; the Americans and the Japanese; the Serbs and the Bosnians; the French colonialism and more recently the Americans and the Iraqis on the one hand and the Afghans on the other. So, I thought why should the Palestinians be any different from all the other persecuted nations around the world and simply forgive and forget the countless crimes committed by the Isrealis against them?
Nowadays, all I hear from educated peers and acquaintances is that the Palestinians should make an effort to end the bloodshed in their country and around the region to spare everyone the headache (!) It is a sad fact that many, and mostly fellow Arabs, look at Palestinians as true war criminals by pinpointing (after learning by heart) the number of Israeli victims who fell throughout this conflict. No one seems to remember how many Palestinians have perished in “cross-fire” (I wonder if it’s simply because they’re too many or because it’s not important anymore).
Everyone seems to settle for the new, probably more relaxing and headache relieving attitude of “lets converse with the Israelis; talk to them and make business deals or so called peace pacts with them”. Apparently, open investments with the Israelis is a key solution to hunger in the Arab world (hmm.. I will remember to thank Israel the next time I visit a poor neighborhood with enough bread to get them through the winter). So, if this theory applies then Egypt and the respectable Jordanian kingdom should have successfully eradicated starvation, malnutrition and homelessness by shaking hands with Israel (I’ll make sure I check those indicators the next time I visit either country). Well, people must realize that business deals run both ways. So, if Israel is actually giving something, it is definitely taking many things in return and the devious Mosad agents that scurry around our streets sniffing for dirt are the first indicator of this business transaction. Control over resources (land, natural, money) is the second essential reason for running such business deals.
At the end of the day, the unfortunate truth that we’re faced with is the sad fact that innocent victims fall in any kind of conflict between two rivals. Conflicts range from international opponents, to local ones (the corrupt Fatah and the radical Hamas) and even domestic disputes (children lost between their parents’ fights).
In this regard, I will only recall massacres and crimes committed against Palestinians: the Naqba in 1948; Deir Yassin; Sabra and Shatila; Tal el Zaatar; Gaza; Nablus; Khalil and Ramallah. All in addition to daily crimes (including social and economic) against Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Israel, their business partners, Fatah and Hamas are to blame for all the abovementioned crimes.
So, if the Armenians cannot forgive the Ottomans; the Jews cannot forgive the German Nazis; the Bosnians cannot forgive the Serbs and the Iraqis/Afghans cannot forgive the Americans, then why should we expect the Palestinians to be any different and forgive the Israelis?
Beirut 16.10.2008
1 comment:
I tend to agree that "peace" CAN be reached through negotiations, on one hand, OR "forgiveness," on the other.
I am also WITH the idea that forgiveness is a pre-requisite for real peace [Hi by the way I miss you :P]... It is absurd to think that the people who were in a state of continuous bloody conflict for more than 60 years could possibly "live in peace" together without turning the whole page of these 60 years and start a new era in their now-common history.
And, I do agree with Maryoush that someone needs to start. Someone needs to take "the initiative" towards peace-building. But here lies the real problem!
In terms of negotiations, both sides of the conflict MUST COMPROMISE to reach a status PERCEIVED as "fair" for both sides. But what more do the Palestinians still have to concede?! What did the Israelis LEAVE for the Palestinians in order for them to give it away? What more could the Palestinians -and all other "Arabs" supposedly- lose from what's left of their national identity, dignity, natural resources, lands, and the list goes on??!!
Negatiations will NEVER be perceived as "just" and therefore a peace agreement will never establish "real peace", not on the long run at least; indicators of this FACT are still conspicuous in countries ALREADY in "in peace" with Israel, namely Egypt and Jordan. So negotiation is not the ultimate solution.
Forgiveness, on the other hand, might be more effective and long-term. However, "someone has to start" -as Marya said- and I believe it SHOULD definitely NOT be the Palestinians! They just can't! Forgiveness must be SOUGHT before being granted! You cannot forgive someone who doesn't ask for forgiveness in the first place! Asking for forgiveness is a sign of acknowledgement of a "sin" (or more appropiately in this context, a wrong deed). The Palestinians didn't really start to "fight BACK" untill they reached the conviction that they had nothing more to lose! Nothing left to wait for!
If I were a Jew, I would've considered forgiving the Germans because they admitted it! And they are making an effort in return (regardless of whether that stems from good intentions or not). But is it foreseeable that the Israelis could admit that they were strangers who came from several unrelated parts of the world to INVADE a country under British occupation? Can the Israelis admit ALL the countless crimes they committed against the Palestinians throughout the 60 years of the establishment of the state of Israel? And can they admit that the Holocaust gives them neither right nor justification what so ever for systematically murdering the Palestinians on a daily basis? I guess I don't need to list all what they must first admit, and then ask forgiveness for...
So, yes there has to be someone to start and that someone cannot be anyone BUT the Israelis themselves!
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