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Five years of Intifada - a reckoning10/02/2005 It is now slightly over five years since the outbreak of the Intifada. It is certain that no good came from the thousands of lives lost, and the vast quantities of hate generated. The only thing we learn from history may be that nobody learns from history. Thus, it is not likely that we can learn anything by contemplating the wreck of the peace process. We don't even know if the Intifada is over. This is important: If (when?) new violence breaks out in earnest (because Bibi Nethanyahu walks on the Temple Mount perhaps) is it Intifada III or Intifada II, second installment? We have to keep track after all. Nonetheless, we ought to try to make some sense of it all anyhow. In October of 2000, as the first violence of the Intifada kicked us into the bad new world, I wrote in PeaceWatch:
We all should have learned quite a bit, considering the tuition fees. Most have learned the wrong lessons if anything. The people responsible for the mess have been busy exploiting the mess to help create an even bigger mess, blaming "the other side," never willing to admit that they had a share. The right-wing extremists "learned," and are willing to teach us, that you can't trust Palestinians and that only territories and occupation provide security They blame everything on the leftists and the Palestinians. They believe the Intifada proves that Palestinians only understand the language of violence. The Palestinians and their supporters "learned" and are eager to teach us, that you can't trust "Zionists" and that only violence will win their freedom. They believe the Intifada proves that Zionists only understand the language of violence. The anti-Semites "learned" that it is all the fault of the Jews. Everyone "learned" all the mistaken things they already knew.
Still there are some lessons that we ought to assimilate, and this fifth anniversary of the Intifada is as good a time to do it as any, especially as it is the eve of the Jewish new year. Some lessons will not be pleasant to anyone, but we can't ignore facts just because we don't like them:
Everyone will find something unpleasant in the above list. Those who are serious about ensuring that the future doesn't look like the miserable past will focus on the items most unpleasant to them. Shana Tova - Ramadan Karim. Ami Isseroff
Original text copyright by the author and MidEastWeb for Coexistence, RA. Posted at MidEastWeb Middle East Web Log at http://www.mideastweb.org/log/archives/00000385.htm where your intelligent and constructive comments are welcome. Distributed by MEW Newslist. Subscribe by e-mail to mew-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please forward by email with this notice and link to and cite this article. Other uses by permission. |
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Replies: 3 comments
I agree with your last two paragraphs. If Isreal had put money in helping the Palestinians gain self respect, jobs and education, they would not have resorted to violence and those pushing violence would have had no takers. Peace is only possible when there is some sense of future and equity. Posted by David Formby @ 10/06/2005 10:54 AM CST
David Formby: Posted by Rod Davies @ 10/10/2005 01:13 PM CST the best way the palestinians could have gotten a homland and the fastest was yhe gandhian non violent sathyarga method nd the opposite of terorism and instead of alenation the world would have gotten their support. likewise if the israeli state would have consdered the problems ofarabs and instead of presenting practical discrimination and havinga policy of oractical thoecratic apartheid Israel should have becomea a true democracy and haven for all people and a jewish nation with other minorities and not a jewish state which discrimanates and rejects others Posted by moiz esufally @ 10/13/2005 07:31 AM CST Please do not leave notes for MidEastWeb editors here. Hyperlinks are not displayed. We may delete or abridge comments that are longer than 250 words, or consist entirely of material copied from other sources, and we shall delete comments with obscene or racist content or commercial advertisements. Comments should adhere to Mideastweb Guidelines . IPs of offenders will be banned. |
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