There is No Peace

75 Years of War

When I was sophomore in college, back in 1975, I wrote a long paper for my history class.  The class was called “The Development of the Modern Middle East”, and our final paper addressed how peace could be achieved.  At the time, most of the violence in the Middle East was nation against nation.  The four wars, in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973; saw Israel fighting Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, and their backers, Saudi Arabia and the other Persian Gulf States.   By 1975, the current borders were set.  The original borders of Israel, drawn by the United Nations from the British Palestine mandate in 1948 were almost indefensible.  By 1975, Israel occupied the “high ground”,  the Golan Heights to the North (Syrian and Lebanese) and the West Bank of the Jordan River to the east (Jordanian).

Oh Jerusalem!

In 1975, I thought the key was Jerusalem, a Holy City to three religions.  Israel claimed Jerusalem as the center, the core of the Jewish state.  Jerusalem is the home of the Temple of David, the center of historic Judaism.  Israel could see no path forward without control of the City.  But Jerusalem was also just as important to Muslims.  It was from that same Temple Mount that Mohammad ascended to Heaven.  

And Christianity was just as vested in the fate of Jerusalem.  It was in Jerusalem that the critical events of Christianity took place; the final betrayal of Christ, his trial, execution, and resurrection. Jerusalem was the target of the Christian Crusades of the Middle Ages, hoping to wrest control from Islamic forces.  

My thought, naively, was to internationalize the “Holy Part” of Jerusalem.  What I didn’t realize at the time, was the centrality of the Holy City to Israel;  there was no way they were giving up; the hard-won spoils of four wars.   Passover and Yom Kippur are the “High Holy Days” of Judaism; Jews throughout the world  for millennia end the final supper with the prayer: “L’Shana Haba’ah B’Yerushalayim…” in English, “Next Year in Jerusalem…”

Terrorism

It wasn’t that I ignored the problem of “terrorism”.  After all, it was only three years after the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, when Palestinian terrorists kidnapping twelve Israeli athletes, resulting in their deaths. The “Palestinian Problem” was difficult, but in 1975 I saw the resolution in assimilation:  Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria should assimilate the refugees, rather than keep them trapped in refugee camps.  When they became part of those Arab nations, then they would no longer be incubators for terrorist violence.

In spite of a semester steeped in the Middle Eastern history, I didn’t get it.  Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria didn’t want the refugees.  The camps represented the “cause celeb” to continue war against Israel, and the Palestinians were a political force unto themselves.  Jordan tried to assimilate them, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization led a revolt against the Jordanian King in 1970.   The revolt failed, and Jordan set the Palestinians aside in the West Bank, physically separated from the Kingdom.  (Not much has changed – Egypt isn’t opening its border with Gaza today for the same reason – Hamas is just as much a threat to the Egyptian government as it is to the Israeli government). 

Incubators

It’s been almost fifty years since I wrote that paper.  The refugee camps remained incubators, but the difference is that fifty years has made the grievances of the 1970’s into almost religion of itself.  And the “camps” aren’t necessarily the tent cities of the original Palestinian “removal”, Gaza City with apartment blocks, stores and hospitals, is one giant refugee camp.  

Palestinians and Israelis faced a dilemma in the 21st Century.  Israel cannot “assimilate” the Palestinians living in Israeli controlled territory either, without losing the founding nature of the Nation.  There are 4.5 million Palestinians and a little over 9 million Israelis.  Where they all to be in one democratic nation, the nature of Israel as a Jewish homeland would be threatened.  So in the past decades, there has been the “two state solution”, a homeland from the Palestinians, and a homeland for the Jews.  The “State of Palestine” would consist of two separate geographic areas, divided by Israel in the middle; the West Bank and Gaza. 

Occupation

There are answers to that geographic separation (some outlandish).  One  includes building a “tunnel” between the two sections, allowing free passage from Gaza to the West Bank (Daily Hampshire Gazette).  But, in the early 2000’s, the Israeli government made a different  decision.  Faced with constant upheaval and terrorist threats from the occupied territories, they determined to crack down.  They abandoned the “two state solution”.  What was a temporary occupation waiting for resolution, became a permanent occupying force militarily controlling a “subservient” population.  In short, Israel refused to “negotiate with terrorists”, and made themselves a permanent terrorist target.

None of which excuses terrorism, especially the assault on Israeli civilians of October 7th.  But it doesn’t excuse the seemingly wanton destruction of Gaza by the Israelis either.  No matter that the death toll numbers are subject to Hamas propaganda, certainly Israel’s actions are killing a lot more than just Hamas terrorists (5000 fighters are estimated dead, about 20% of the total of Hamas Force – Reuters).  And the consequence of Israel’s onslaught, will be decades more of terrorist religious fervor.  It’s a short term solution to a long term problem.  For a nation like Israel suffering 1200 dead in the October 7th attack, retribution might be satisfying, and necessary.  But for the Palestinians who survive, it will create an even greater reason to lay down their lives for “the Cause”.  

That’s no good for either side.

Hamas/Israel War

Author: Marty Dahlman

I'm Marty Dahlman. After forty years of teaching and coaching track and cross country, I've finally retired!!! I've also spent a lot of time in politics, working campaigns from local school elections to Presidential campaigns.