War for What

Who is right? Who is wrong? Palestine or Israel – two brothers fighting for the same kingdom? And all that we see, is the loss of innocent lives as peace settlement attempts collapse.

The Middle East crisis has been ongoing for many years. Before the first World War, Palestine was a place where Muslims, Jews and Christians lived in harmony.

Thereafter, Zionists chose Palestine as a ‘homeland’ and with British involvement in the Middle East; the region saw a number of skirmishes.

In the late 1940s, many Palestinians left the land after Zionist militia operations occurred. Territory owned by Palestinians diminished and in 1948, the state of Israel was declared.

Tensions continued and in 1967 the Six Day War ensued, where Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These are now called the occupied territories.

Today, these occupied pieces of land is what Palestinians are left with. Suicide bombs – or martyrdom bombs as some say – is not uncommon on the side of Palestinians. In 2008, Israel launched an attack on Gaza killing over 1000 citizens, while some 13 Israelis were killed.

But what is the crux of warfare? It all boils down to morals. Would you take an innocent life just for greed? It is saying, “What is mine is only mine and it belongs only to me. Nothing belongs to you. I was born here first!”

Religious warfare is also common. Jerusalem is the centre for Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Why is it that people cannot live in peace – something that spirituality demands – in this religious capital? Is it a case of “We were born here first. Our God was here first. This is a Holy place for us only”?

What most fail to realise is that all of us were clots of blood in our mothers’ wombs. What we fail to understand is that each of us will become dust when we die. If we consider these aspects, no person would radiate the negative energy involved with war.

I think that Palestine and Israel can take a lesson out of South Africa’s history. Here, Jews, Christians, Mulsims, Hindus, black and white all stood together in defeating apartheid. In this day and age, the same problem exists – the problem of centralising power on all else besides the Almighty. This is what people of every nationality need to conquer – even if one does not live in the Middle East.

We need to create awareness about human rights violations and work hand in hand to bring the qualities of love, light, peace, simplicity and kindness into the world. We are all human, we are all seeking Divine guidance and tranquillity – this is the common ground that we should use to unify our hearts.

I’d like to narrate a short story that I heard from a friend. It was of a Jewish and Mulsim couple standing at a voting queue in South Africa. Both couples had boy children who were more or less the same age.

The couples stood stiff backed, bearing in mind the Palestinian Israeli issue. They eyed each other with suspicion.

But the two youngsters looked at each other with curiosity. Each had on a religious hat that looked very similar. They started pointing this out to their parents. Very soon, the two were playing together as their parents spoke to each other. The tension had melted. Both families went home that day with a changed view of the world.

If people adopt the ‘free’, unbiased attitude of these two children, perhaps in the near future, we will see Arab, Jew, Muslim and Christian – brothers – Palestinian and Israeli – standing in the same voting queue, as they chose to live as the Rainbow Nation.