I noticed a comment on Facebook that Obama’s speech at Cairo University to the Islamic world isn’t yet posted on the White House website. I checked and at the time of writing, it isn’t. But it’s up on Al Jazeera – full text here. I’m not sure if it’s a transcript released to the press or a transcription.
Somehow I can’t imagine George W. Bush saying this:
The Holy Quran tells us, “O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.” The Talmud tells us: “The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.”
The Holy Bible tells us, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God’s vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth.
This post provides space for a continuation of the discussion on the previous thread about the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
As a discussion starter, there’s a wealth of interesting commentary at Open Democracy. Paul Rogers looks at the current situation and how it’s developing, and traces the US’ involvement over the last decade or so with Israeli state policy and the IDF. In another piece, Rogers tries to find some hope amidst the ruins. Vera Gowlland-Debbas examines the role of international law in the conflict, and asks whether the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine is being shown to be mere rhetoric. Daniele Archibugi reviews the role of domestic politics in Israeli decision making. And, finally, Avi Shlaim places the current events within a historical context.
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On the first thread here about the Israeli attacks on Gaza, I was struck by this comment in an article linked by Rob:
Even when development and enlightenment stare them in the face, their instinct is to destroy them pretending to safeguard their honor, the mechanics of which supersede all else including a happy life of fulfillment and accomplishments.
Ostensibly, the writer, Farid Ghatry, is accusing Hamas and Hizbollah of being ruled by “instinct”, but it doesn’t take him long to elide those organisations with “Arabs” collectively:
Their poisonous rhetoric of violence feeding a frenzied mass of ignorant Arabs leaning on their extreme religion to honor their incapacity to compete with the West is destroying future generations of hopeful saviors of our culture and traditions.
I don’t want to discuss the specifics of this conflict in this post – this thread is still open for those wishing to do so. I do want to observe that peace appears to have few champions at the moment. Endless dissections of history and propaganda claims and counter-claims seem to leave debate stuck in the same morass – of friends and enemies, and the only logic of that cycle – on both sides – is a drive to extermination. It seems to me that since the Cold War ended, the peace movement has more or less disappeared from view – at least in this country – and there are very few voices prepared to prioritise humanitarianism and conflict resolution over picking sides.
Continue reading ‘Eyeless in Gaza III’
Since the previous thread on the Israeli attacks on Gaza was becoming unwieldy with 425 comments to scroll through, and several commenters requested a new thread, comments are continued on this thread from here.
Update: A new post on the ethics of the conflict.
Update: New post here.
Hilzoy has something pointed to say about the “pornography of destruction” engulfing the Gaza strip and adjacent areas of Israel:
One of the many things that makes the Israeli/Palestinian conflict so utterly dispiriting is that it’s impossible to think of anything good coming of any of this. Worse than that, it’s hard to imagine that even the people involved think anything good will come of it.
What, exactly, do the Palestinians lobbing rockets into Sderot think they will accomplish? That the Israelis will look about them and say: Holy Moly, I had no idea this place was so dangerous!, and leave? Do the Israelis think: even though we’ve bombed the Palestinians a whole lot, and it’s never done much good before, maybe this time it will be different! Maybe Hamas will say: heavens, this is a pretty serious round of attacks; maybe we should just sue for peace — ? Or what?
Any form of peaceful resolution to the conflicts in Palestine and Israel has been blocked for a long time by a range of factors – including but not limited to internal Israeli politics and the decomposition of its party system, the legacy of past atrocities, an effective economic blockade of Palestine, the power balance in the Middle East and the hypocritical and empty promises of the Bush administration. If there is a “peace process”, its outlines were frozen in time long ago. Unfortunately, I think it’s probably too much to hope for that there’ll be any sort of progress under the Obama administration, particularly with Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.
Continue reading ‘Eyeless in Gaza’
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