Israel: A Nation Eluded By Peace
Many countries in the Far East have been ravaged by war for centuries now. Peace seems to elude them. The people learned to live a life that is always on the edge. Attempts of powerful western nations to restore peace in these nations seem futile and to no avail.
Israel is one of these countries that are always in the path of war and destruction. It had always been in conflict with its neighbor, Palestine. But so far, nobody has ever come up with a more lasting and positive solution. People died in the process of restoring peace in these countries and it seems like wishful thinking now.
Israel has issued 35 administrative detention orders against Palestinian prisoners, including one woman, within the last two weeks.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Club said in a press statement that the orders were served to prisoners from across the occupied West Bank cities, including 11 to Palestinians from Bethlehem, eight to those from Hebron, six in Jenin and five in Ramallah.
It added that the orders were issued against first-time detainees as well as those who have been previously detailed.
(Via: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170314-israel-issues-35-administrative-detentions-in-two-weeks/)
Many suggestions have been considered (with finger crossed – that is).
Israel has been a sovereign state, with all the trimmings, since 1948, including a government, an army, a seat in the UN and membership in the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as many other international bodies. By now, 135 of the 193 member states of the UN have recognized “Palestine” as a sovereign state, plus the Holy See, which is not a full member state of the UN.
If all of these facts are taken into account, you would be forgiven for thinking that nothing could possibly stand in the way of the two-state-solution. But there are a few small matters that ought to be addressed before Jerusalem and Ramallah are to take up any diplomatic relationships. These are, namely, the issues of borders, the Jewish settlement in the West Bank, the “return policy,” which is non-negotiable for Palestinians, as well as the recognition of Israel as a “Jewish state,” a condition that Israel is not willing to forego.
And all of this is without mentioning the most important question of all: who will speak for the Palestinians? The local elections in the West Bank and Gaza, set for Oct. 8, 2016, had to be cancelled due to the fact that leaders of Fatah and Hamas could not reach an agreement.
The rules are basically the same: the first to move, loses.
Many people (Americans and non-Americans) may not like most of President Trump’s statement and policies so far but it appears that he is doing something right in this aspect after all.
To understand what President Trump has indeed achieved and undertaken – which although limited, does represent a strong foundation for a future Middle Eastern peace initiative – requires envisioning an alternate scenario. Envisage a Democratic American president who in his or her first two months of leadership has appointed two premier advisors to focus on the Israeli-Palestinian issue; called on the Israeli government to hold back on settlement construction; intimately engaged Palestinian and Arab leaders; and has avoided any notable scandals on this particular front.
The President helps negotiate peace among these troubled nations and extend a helping hand, so peace can finally be achieved if everything works in their favor.
Observers and commentators on the Israeli-Palestinian issue should do so by cautiously highlighting positive developments, which further incentivize a working, democratic relationship between the community and the White House. To continue on the current path would otherwise signal four complete years of partisanship and opposition that would dissuade progress on the Israeli-Palestinian front, which Israelis, Palestinians, and world interests simply cannot afford.
Life in a war-torn nation is something you would not wish on anybody. We all deserve to live in a society with established law and order, where the citizens are free to roam the streets and go after their pursuits in life. Children should enjoy a normal childhood that is not exposed to violence and various injustices.
It may not be the reality for countries like Palestine and Israel right now (and many other countries in the Middle East e.g. Syria and Iraq) but it is possible once the nations unite and look past each other’s difference. The bottom line is, the world will be a better place if everyone learns to love more and hate less.
