Gaza/Israel (2) one month
Pre-note: Overnight, from Sue: Tuesday night. “Frontline on PBS showed an old documentary of theirs detailing the history of Israeli-Palestinian attempts at peace over a number of years from the Cairo Agreement of 1994 through the Oslo Accords to the Wye River Memorandum to the Camp David Summit and the Taba Summit to the outbreak of war among Israel, the Palestinians, and Hezbollah. President Clinton was involved in most of these peace negotiations, until war shattered the hope of adoption of what was a fragile proposal in a fraught political time for many of the main players, and Clinton was replaced by Bush II, who soon had his plate full with his own foreign problems. Throughout, Prime Minister Netanyahu does not look good.
to Sue and all: I didn’t, but I just called up Frontline on the web [same as above link] and the program is featured and apparently available to watch on-line. Don’t forget Jimmy Carter in this equation. He, too, made heroic efforts.
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This post is deliberately set aside from the first post, Saturday. You can read the first post here. There have been a number of comments. Yesterday was the one calendar month anniversary of October 7.
One of the most troubling aspects of the catastrophe in the place that is called Israel is the perceived fear of having a civil conversation about differing points of view on the whole issue of Israel/Palestine (the land) or Jews/Palestinians (the people of the land).
I wish it would be possible for everyone, from ordinary citizen on up, to just be able to dialogue across the boundaries which now exist. Maybe it would only be me and you – but even that is productive, towards understanding. The current standard seems to be: “This is my position, and until you agree with me, there’s no use talking.” This goes both ways.
Today, as every day, my experience is that most people I come across, regardless of how they look, or the language they speak, make it a point to get along with others. I don’t think I live in an atypical bubble. We are all human beings.
Monday came a post from Doug Muder in his Weekly Sift: “Can We Talk About Israel and Palestine?” which is well worth your time, and personal consideration. A question each of us can ask ourselves: “what can I do with this, where I am, as a single individual?”
The instant issue seems always to be framed as us versus them.
The sense seems always getting even. “You beat me up, I’ll beat you up even worse”. Over and over. Retribution is a descriptor I’ve heard that speaks to this self-defeating strategy.
And on and on….
As noted, over the years, I’ve come to believe that at least informally the large majority of humanity much prefers peace writ large over division and conflict. A small minority prefer disrupt and confuse and anger. Most just want to get along. All we need is the will and the patience and persistence to implement it.
Still I tend to be silent out of caution. Unfortunately, silence without positive engagement is not productive. Some tension is necessary.
The vast majority of all people, everywhere, are alike. We want peace.
More than once, at this space, I’ve urged civil conversation. Here I go again. It will look different everywhere, but one conversation at a time will make all the difference in the world.
I saw that the Frontline piece was going to be on TPT. Frontline is far and away the best documentary series being done today and has been for many years. However, that being said, I just could not bring myself to go through the agony of reliving the story of hope followed by despair knowing the horrific “next chapter” that arrived on October 7 and continues unabated. I realize that I should be an “informed citizen,” but to what end? Nothing seems to change and what passes for dialogue devolves into further toxic polarization. Apologies for the negativity. Normally I try to keep a pretty positive outlook but it’s getting harder.
I see only one issue now: massacre of a helpless, trapped population. Nothing else makes any sense until this ends.
Since the US pays for most of it, it is being done in our name. This is the biggest emergency imaginable. If we can stop it, then the hard work of sorting it out can begin, but while it goes on, ALL analysis and commentary is junk, or worse, stalling for time to complete a genocide. We do not have time.
Meanwhile, everyone’s true colors showing in broad daylight.
The question for individuals is, who am I, that this is happening?