THE ONLY WAY ISRAEL COULD BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY….is to do everything differently.
credit Mohammed Ibrahim at UnSplash
Looking back on what’s occurred during the past year since October 7 is horrific from anyone’s point of view. Even those who believe Israel has behaved correctly can’t be blind to the awful destruction and bloodshed that’s been caused primarily in Gaza but also in the West Bank and now in southern Lebanon. The hostility and warfare seems endless and what’s worse, there doesn’t seem to be a goal — just more destruction and bloodshed.
So what could have been done or could be done differently? Should Israel have stopped bombing after 10,000 Gazans were killed? Or 20,000? What would be the right number to avenge the horror of events on Oct. 7? What could Israel have done/or do to sufficiently appease Hamas so this terrorist organization would cease trying to annihilate the state of Israel? Probably nothing.
But Israel isn’t looking for ways to appease Hamas — quite the opposite. Military security is how Israel justifies its heavy bombing campaign in Gaza, the disruption of Palestinian life on the West Bank and the attack on Hezbollah. Might makes right.
Th aphorism “might makes right” still rules the world. Let’s not forget, the US killed 140,000 in Hiroshima and another 40,000 in Nagasaki; an estimated two million civilians were killed in Vietnam and about ½ million in Iraq. In the long term, it seems we have achieved peace, at least in some parts of the globe, however, the price has been tremendous. Some say unconscionable.
Are there other means Israel could have exerted or could now exert to create peace (and security) in the region? Yes, lots. But it might would require an entirely different head-set on the part of Israelis and, truly, on the part of the world. As I expressed above, world order is still largely based on military dominance. That’s what we see playing out in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its defense. Prime Minister Zelensky isn’t requesting more peace mediators to resolve the war in his country, he’s requesting more weapons. (And dominance at any cost is especially appealing to Israelis who possess a genetic memory of what happened when they didn’t have enough power to prevent millions from being massacred.)
Yet, based on a different headset, there are many steps Israel could have taken during the past 30 years that would have greatly improved the situation and might have stemmed the violence. They could have supported moderate Palestinians (instead of Hamas); they could have checked the growth of (if not eliminate) the West Bank settlements; they could have made sure the checkpoints (required for security after a string of suicide bombings) were maintained with humanity and decency and that Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank felt like they had opportunities to succeed. In other words Israelis could have treated Palestinians with the respect and fairness they have for their own citizenry.
This last sentiment is key — the willingness to treat all the peoples of the world with respect and justice — but where is this practiced anywhere in the world? Certainly not in the US where black and brown children attend worse schools and drink worse water and breathe worse air than white children. And where nearly half of Americans appear willing to vote for a president who wants to halt US immigration from our Southern border and deport millions. We may not be bombing their homes and schools and hospitals but we are condemning a majority of those desperately trying to immigrate (many women and children) to lives of poverty, violence and in, some cases, death at the hands of gangs and corrupt officials. Would that happen if those of us in the dominant culture respected and appreciated brown and black families as we do our own? Wouldn’t we attempt to behave more justly and humanely?
That’s why I believe it’s not merely the actions that need to change (although they do), it’s the head-set. We need to care about others no matter how different they look or speak or worship. This precept has been articulated by a few powerful individuals in the history of humankind. There was Jesus — look what happened to him? And Martin Luther King — ditto. And others — some still alive. In fact it seems to me as if in the vast pageant of human history, we can either radically change our thinking or our species will die dismally — and it’s hard to know which will occur first.
It must be said, however, that leaders like Jesus and MLK, didn’t live in vain. They had a massive impact on humankind — they moved the needle toward decency and even love. Otherwise we’d never have the capacity to condemn the slaughter and rape and abuse of others and we wouldn’t yearn for peace and justice.
What we’re seeing now in the Middle-East is the naked application of might makes right. And it’s ugly, awful. This conflict should bring home the absolute necessity of finding another means to resolve conflicts but, also, the urgent requirement that we pursue another way to treat our fellow humans. We need to pursue that goal vigorously — with all our energy and stamina and hope.
How do we begin? Maybe a cease-fire in Gaza.
