In the endless cycle of bloodshed that has existed between Jews and Arabs since the early part of the previous century, on few occasions did negotiation lead to the goals sought after by either side. It has become almost expected that negotiations would eventually (or quickly) break down, and the cycle of violence would ensue. Distrust has turned into the main cause for not returning to the negotiating table. Essentially, both sides have had very similar claims towards one another, yet the deadlock has rarely been broken. So how can we expect anyone to truly believe in the prospects of peace? We can’t – at least not if we continue doing things as we always have.
In the case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is clear to all parties concerned that Israel is the stronger side. It can, and it does, inflict far greater damage on the Palestinians that the latter on us. Most of us can imagine the frustration and helplessness felt by the average Palestinian, and hence the almost innate support for anyone (terrorist or not) capable of translating that frustration into action. The unimaginable living conditions, extreme poverty, and staggering unemployment are enough to cause any last ounce of Palestinian optimism to evaporate and be replaced by emotional and rational searches for radical solutions – ones that would force the other side to change. Recognizing their status as the (far) weaker side in the conflict, the Palestinians are after recognition and respect no less than their national rights. And that is precisely where Israel has and continues to fail time and again.
Prior to negotiating with another side, one must first recognize not only the goals sought after, but in fact who the parties involved are. For instance, if Google is about to negotiate the purchase of YouTube, it must recognize that YouTube is not an equal party in commercial experience, financial strength, knowledge of the market, and so forth. Next, one must accept that although both sides will engage in a give-and-take during negotiations, there is a greater potential for success if both are at least “seemingly” discussing the issues at eye-level. It is no less a responsibility of the stronger side as it is the weaker one’s to create an atmosphere whereby the perception of such equality exists. In the case of the two super-powers (US and USSR), not much pre-negotiation work was needed in creating such a perception, at least not in the case of the military or nuclear capabilities of either side.
In the case of Israel and the Palestinians, however, things are very different. It should be inconceivable that the Palestinians could come to the negotiating table without the ability to continue to deliver pressuring “messages” to Israelis, reminding them of what they will lose as long as their rights are not recognized. In practical terms, Israelis, and in particular their leaders, must come to accept that without ongoing terror, the Palestinians cannot negotiate with Israel. As such, Israeli leaders must not view negotiation as something that can occur only upon the cessation of violence. In a cruel and cynical way, the more damage the Palestinians inflict upon Israel, the greater their sense of equal-party in the conflict, the greater the chances for success in future negotiations.
At the same time, Israel, though the stronger side, cannot enter negotiations without its own continued pressure over the Palestinians. It must therefore correctly identify what may be deemed “legitimate pressure” in the eyes of the other side, and what may not. The Palestinians must feel that Israel chooses rules of engagement in the conflict which apply pressure, yet do not degrade or humiliate them. They must reach an understanding that Israel is not attempting to force a negotiated peace as the stronger side, but rather lead the Palestinians to a preferred alternative, almost as equals. Economic blockades have always been viewed as collective punishment, and never as a legitimate, proportional response to violence. So-called surgical strikes have also failed because they create an illusion and far too great an expectation of exactness, which has repeatedly been proven unrealistic. Time-limited operations have also failed because by definition they cannot create irreversible conditions that permanently disable any capabilities of the other side.
The one type of pressure which has not been applied yet, mostly out of concern for the way the international community may view its use, entails the principle of reciprocity. That is, Israel assumes that as it is clear to all that its military might is far superior to that of the Palestinians, it cannot define any minor action as being reciprocal. But if Israel clearly states that it views the current situation as that of war, certain responses become more legitimate than before. For instance, in war, when one side shells another, it is normally acceptable for the opposite to occur immediately thereafter. It should not be inconceivable that Israel states that henceforth, each shelling of Israeli population centers will be swiftly followed by equal shelling of Palestinian ones. Each Kassam rocket landing in the heart of Sderot, will be followed by a single artillery shell fired at the heart of Gaza, and so forth.
At the same time, Israel must make every attempt and effort to return to the negotiating table. Until a peace-treaty is signed, it should not expect the violence to end and, as this article suggests, it should accept its existence as the only effective means of pressure the Palestinians have. Israel should not demand the cessation of hostilities as a precondition to negotiations, but rather advance towards its own goals in parallel. Only when the Palestinians feel they’ve achieved their basic (not necessarily complete) national aspirations, and no less significant, the respect and recognition they deserve, will there be a chance for the guns to finally go silent.
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Film: Ever Again, a documentary about past and present anti-Semitism, Art Theatre presentation
The overall effect of this film is to produce fear, despair and hopelessness, on the one hand. On the other hand, it ends with a quote from Einstein: “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
While the quote is worthy of our attention, the documentary never indicates what it would have us do to stop the Islamic and Neo Nazi fundamentalist radicals from calling for the elimination the Jews.
The whole documentary is filled with angry inciters of the people. What we see of the world of Islam is only radicalized followers who vandalize synagogues and cemeteries, who beat up Jews in the streets, who seek above all to be martyrs and have a glorious life in heaven for having given their lives in taking the lives of so-called infidels.
There are over 1.5 billion Muslims in the world who study the Koran, who worship “God,” and who live productive and loving lives. But this documentary shows us only the ultra radicals, and in this one-sided presentation the implication is that the whole of the Muslim world wants to wipe out Jews (and Hindus, Americans, etc.) and have Islam take over the world. The Muslim radicals whom we hear ranting, tell us they want Islam to take over the world because the Jews have taken over the world and they must be stopped. Sound redundant? It is.
Although it is never said, the underlying call appears to be to “eliminate” those who would seek to eliminate the Jews. The documentary is produced by the Simon Wiesenthal Center (which for years has helped to track down former Nazi’s around the world).
I deplore violence, terrorism, murder, and mass killing. No human being or group of human beings should ever fall victim in these ways. Oddly, any group, other than those with this Jewish perspective, could have made this kind of one-sided documentary: Afro-Americans about Whites, Homosexuals about Straight Homophobes, etc. In fact, the diatribe against Jews and Israelis depicted again and again in this film by radical Muslims, could be made into the same one-sided documentary in reverse.
That is what is really frightening – beating the viewer over the head with rhetoric and saying that unless we stand up to the labeled enemy, we are the ones who make the world a dangerous place. It is frightening because no where is there a call for peacefully engaging with each other, for seeking solutions to grievances, even for wanting to hear the other’s complaints. No where is there encouragement for humankind to lift above the venomous proclamations and become champions of a new way for people to live together.
And we are truly all in this together when we remind ourselves as we confront anti-Semitism that the term Semitic can and is equally applied to those practicing Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All three share a common ancestry. Hence, should any of the three seek to suppress, condemn, or destroy any of the others, they are merely voicing their own death wish for they are one and the same people.
Leaving the theatre with a sick feeling in my stomach born of hopelessness and disgust with human behavior on all sides, I asked myself, "What am I going to do about it?" My immediate inclination is to get lost on a desert island and return only after all conflicts currently raging are turned to ashes. I know, of course, that even if such a day came to pass, little time would elapse before people would be killing each other once again in the name of some just cause – such as defending freedom, stopping terrorists, etc.
Short of leaving the chaos that reigns around the world, my other option has always been to be the change I want to see happen in my daily life, and to speak out against injustice. After seeing this documentary, I took yet another step. My inner voice told me, "Don’t speak out, speak in."
The meaning of this for me is to commit to honoring life and to serve only the inner government, the creative force. It means to be a Light bearer in the midst of the soldiers and warriors of the world, to live a life of love and kindness not because others will see and change but because it is the way that those of us who live a spiritual life must be. Lift above the sides and join the forces that hold the world in place while the sides, the fanatics and fundamentalists of every stripe hate and kill each other.
This next step came as a reminder from my earliest spiritual studies (through the Alice Bailey books in which she channeled wisdom from Tibetan Master Djwal Khul about the “Plan” according to the Hierarchy of Ascended Masters.)
"There is an inner government of the planet known under such different names as the spiritual Hierarchy, the society of Illumined Minds. Humanity is never left without spiritual guidance or direction under the Plan. The widespread expectation that we approach the "Age of Maitreya," as it is known in the East, when the World Teacher and present head of the spiritual Hierarchy, the Christ [The Christos] , will reappear among humanity to sound the keynote of the new age. [While orthodox forms limit this to Jesus as the only Messiah, to the Gnostics the Christos is viewed as a Light-Presence, a Light-bearer, not exclusive but rather embodied by many individuals and ultimately, is to be embodied by humanity as a whole--giving birth to a New and Divine Humanity.]
"There are millions of mentally alert men and women in all parts of the world who are [living in harmony] with the Plan and work to give it expression. They are people in whom the consciousness of humanity as one interdependent unit is alive and active... These beliefs give a new dimension to spiritual reality. They provide opportunity for cooperation with the spiritual evolution of humanity. There is no group so likely to ensure that humanity achieves this most difficult goal as the men and women of goodwill, requiring only courage to initiate action to prepare for the New World Order.”
Yes, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” But it also true that the world is an even more dangerous place when humans fight their enemies on the same level as their enemies, for then they truly become what they seek to destroy.
I will not "do nothing" but the something I will do and am doing will involve my touching even finer frequencies so that I am not tempted to act in lesser ways in the clutches of fear. Nor tempted to swagger with bravado, both of which I have seen my countrymen do for many years.
Ever Again may we find our way to merge with the Divine in our embodied consciousness.
FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THESE TO OTHERS OR TO SEND ME NAMES AND E-ADDRESSES TO ADD TO MY RECOMMENDATIONS LIST.
A Service of Teleos Institute
ARLEEN LORRANCE (OSO) angeloso@aol.com (480) 948-1800
www.consciousnesswork.com
These film recommendations are dedicated to the memory of Herman E. Warsh, a man of love, kindness, integrity and excellence.
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