July 06 Newsletter

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That Elusive Peace
Eng. Hassan Elsawaf

Once again the Middle East has flared up. Once again the vortex of blaming and name calling has resumed. Once again there appears no end in sight to the conundrum of elusive peace. Once again profiteers and mercenaries fill the headlines with directionless rhetoric, creating a fresh version of a sixty-year old vicious circle.

Is there ever to be any hope for the region to calm down and able to realise its potential for peace and prosperity for its inhabitants? Is it realistic to expect the rankling animosity to subside one day? History is full of examples of former enemies now living in harmony and friendship. Why can’t the Middle East join the club?

Observing the beleaguered Palestinians and their long suffering, one can conclude that the hatred and bitterness are so entrenched that it is unrealistic to ever expect them to live side by side with their nemesis. Young Palestinians, it is safe to assume, are injected with such a heavy dose of vindictive violence that it is hard to imagine them purging such feelings and able to live in constructive peace, as opposed to internecine war. They are an indoctrinated people, hearing little throughout their miserable lives but anti-Israeli propaganda. That kind of picture makes the likelihood for some form of future reconciliation low.

That is the argument often heard in the discussion over the peace prospects. Many are unable to see a future in which the Palestinian people can direct their attention to striving for a better life like the rest of the planet does, but see only a lingering hostility spewing perpetual violence and bloodshed. That is the message spread by those who do not want to see the violence end. It has no bearing with the truth, namely that any people on earth, given half a choice, will never spurn their chances for a better life in pursuit of everlasting misery and destruction. The problem in Palestine is that those in charge, as well as many outsiders supporting them, have no interest in seeing an end to hostilities. Neither Hamas and Hezbollah nor their Iranian and Syrian backers lose too much sleep over the plight of millions of hapless Palestinians. If peace were to be achieved by some miracle and the Palestinian people’s living conditions improved considerably those factions would be uncovered. Their sole claim to legitimacy among the Arab masses is their ability to make life miserable for the enemy. If the enemy were to turn into a friend, that platform would disintegrate.

By the same token, the Israeli government does not really desire peace, for that would expose the deep ethnic fragmentation within Israeli society –so far spuriously cohesive through the common enemy threat- and weaken the underdog argument they have been skilfully exploiting for generations to gain sympathy and financial support. How can I reach such an outrageous conclusion? Simple! How else can anyone justify the support the Israelis bestow on the corrupt and tyrannical Egyptian regime when it is well known that its most inevitable outcome is a militant movement whose most enticing target will always be Israel and whoever supports her? Perhaps somewhere in the Israeli unwritten strategy is the need to keep the danger image with the threat it carries in the forefront of international headlines. The miscalculation they made is that what they imagined was contained danger turned into a monster. It is rare to hear stories emanating from Israel in support of democratic regimes in the region. Perhaps Israel needs to take a closer look at the deeper reason for so much extremism and reconcile that with its real needs. The superficial policy of appeasing dictators can never pay dividends if it is lasting peace Israel genuinely seeks.

There is more to the conflict than meets the eye, for sure. Peace can be achieved, not by holding conferences and making declarations, but by liberating the contaminated mind of the Arab people, almost all of whom are ruled by greedy dictators, with nothing more important in mind than holding on to power and prepared to do whatever it takes. Peace can only be achieved if we focus all our efforts on making the Arab countries democratic. That would rob the Israelis of their most beloved argument, that her neighbours are unfit to be treated as equals and would allow the Palestinians to begin loving themselves instead of hating others.

Peace is only elusive because we choose to make it so . Please open your eyes .