Israel is a relatively small nation, about 50 miles east to
west and 150 miles north to south. About eight and a half million people live
there. Seven million are Jews and about
one and a half million are Palestinians. Israel was created by people who
believed in a movement called Zionism.
To many Jews the word Zion means home and Zionism is the movement to
return Jews to their ancestral home.
Many Palestinians say, the Jewish return to the Jewish ancestral home
has caused Palestinians to be removed from their homes.
The result is a “war of narratives.” “Great wars in history eventually become
great wars about history” wrote Michael Oren.
True indeed!
The Israeli Palestinian argument has historical, religious,
geographical, economic and emotional components. There are extremists on both sides and many are
armed. At the same time, a pervasive
antisemitism exists in the Middle East and in parts of Europe. Some Israelis believe in a “greater Israel”
while some Palestinians will accept nothing less than “return” of all their
land and an end to the State of Israel.
It is a messy situation.
Where then is all this going?
My sense is there can be no simple justice that will satisfy
both sides. And by the way there are
many sides within each side. The final settlement, when it is reached, will
have to be made up of compromise and proximate justice supported by a
courageous political leadership willing to negotiate and enforce a peace
agreement.
When this will happen is difficult to say and it is hard to
be optimistic these days. But we have seen the Berlin wall come down. We have seen apartheid overthrown in South
Africa. We have seen the collapse of the
Soviet Union. There is relative peace in Ireland. So,
let us hope against hope.
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