The Gaza Conflict: Towards a Miracle in the Middle East

I think it's naive to think that war is sometimes NOT the solution. (This reply is going to be very unpopular on this website). Historically, war has accomplished a lot (when it has been necessary). Our original biggest enemy (England) is now our greatest friend (thank you Revolutionary War). And don't be naive to think that the Civil War wasn't necessary: we are still a united nation precisely because of that war. Our biggest enemies of the last century (Germany and Japan) are now our friends. Once VERY aggressive, Germany is now a pacifist country and Japan is a strong ally, even though they were once as idealistic and willing to die for their "god" (the emperor) as Islamic fascists are today. How did this happen? A no-nonsense World War II. War has also re-shaped (south) Korea, Iraq (arguable I know), Libya (indirectly), Italy (now irrelevant on the world stage), etc. Even the Soviet Union (although not a real war) was tamed through a display of strength.

Israel's enemies have been fortunate that they've show restraint this long. If you took all of Israel's weapons away, their enemies would destroy them without hesitation. But if you took all of the weapons away from Israel's enemies...there would be peace in the Middle East. What makes them different? They are truly democratic. Democracies don't war with other democracies. If we want war to end on this planet, every country must truly be democratic. This is why we shouldn't give up in Iraq and Afghanistan. If they become thriving democracies, they will become a contrast with their Arab neighbors as South Korea is with their northern counterpart.

"WAR! WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?" (as the song goes)

Sometimes...a lot.

Well Jung also had many antisemitic views. He had a lot to "outgrow" I also read about a Zen Roshi who was an antisemite. He had a lot to "outgrow" to.

I don't think that you understand the depth of Hamas's hatred for ALL Jews everywhere. On the Atlantic Magazine's web site Jeffrey Goldberg recalls his interview with Hamas leader Nizar Rayyan:

"There was no flexibility with Rayyan. This is what he said when I asked him if he could envision a 50-year hudna (or cease-fire) with Israel: "The only reason to have a hudna is to prepare yourself for the final battle. We don't need 50 years to prepare ourselves for the final battle with Israel." There is no chance, he said, that true Islam would ever allow a Jewish state to survive in the Muslim Middle East. "Israel is an impossibility. It is an offense against God."

I asked him if he believed, as some Hamas theologians do (and certainly as many Hezbollah leaders do) that Jews are the "sons of pigs and apes." He gave me an interesting answer that reflects a myopic reading of the Koran. "Allah changed disobedient Jews into apes and pigs, it is true, but he specifically said these apes and pigs did not have the ability to reproduce. So it is not literally true that Jews today are descended from pigs and apes, but it is true that some of the ancestors of Jews were transformed into pigs and apes, and it is true that Allah continually makes the Jews pay for their crimes in many different ways. They are a cursed people."

What are our crimes? I asked Rayyan. "You are murderers of the prophets and you have closed your ears to the Messenger of Allah," he said. "Jews tried to kill the Prophet, peace be unto him. All throughout history, you have stood in opposition to the word of God.""

Yes, there are times when war is necessary. I think that pacifism led to the Holocaust. We could have stopped Hitler when he invaded Poland. I do realize that Hamas leaders are not Hitler, but that is only because they have never had the power or ability to become a Hitler.

Wellsey, I don't deny that, but yes, sometimes war is necessary no matter the cost to the individual or to the society. Golda Meir once said to Sadat, "We may forgive you for killing our sons, but we can't forgive you for making us kill your sons. War is sometimes the solution. It was to the Nazis.

@Susan: War was necessary to stop the Nazis once they had gained that much might, but it wasn't the solution. Think of the culture that had to grow and the events that had to take place so that Hitler could rise to power and actually get people to do what he wanted. The true solution was prevention. And that's always the best solution. But often very difficult to achieve. Obviously.

I think historical figures like Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. would disagree vehemently with the statement, "War is necessary." Certainly they accomplished their goals without leading a single army into battle or using a weapon, though, ironically and sadly, they all died as a result of violence. But nevertheless, their messages endure.

Furthermore, all Marianne is saying is accept the POSSIBILITY that the end of war is possible. Why relegate it to some crackpot's dream? I am a citizen of the USA. I'm just one guy. But this is how grassroots movements work; 1 becomes 2 becomes 4 becomes 8. And suddenly, you have thousands of people clamoring for a change in policy of the strongest nation on Earth. A shift in funding away from military and toward education, research, and infrastructure development. So many countries want nukes because they want to be strong like us. What if the USA could give them something else to admire for once?

If the end of war is not possible, ever, then humanity, in spirit and body, is doomed.

Wellsy, yes prevention is obviously the best method, but it rarely happens.

Ghandi is an interesting example. He said that Jews should commit mass suicide to awaken the conscience of the world during the Holocaust. This was surely a bad idea when the Nazis were trying to wipe out every Jew. All the allies already knew what was happening and didn't do anything. He also suggested that Israeli Jews set themselves on fire to gain Palestinian understanding.

Jesus wasn't the only Jewish historical figure who was a pacifist.

Marianne Williamson,
This post really helped to keep my mind in check. Thank you! I particularly liked the following: "The greatest gift you can give to both is to realize that on a spiritual level, Israelis and Palestinians are one. Their only true reality is the reality of whom they are in this moment, freed from any thoughts of the past."
This sounds similar to Eckhart Tolle's teachings in THE POWER OF NOW & A NEW EARTH.
I think a release could also come from noticing the tension in your body as soon as you pick a group with whom to side. When news of the tragedy comes your way via whatever medium, do you find yourself becoming tense? Does your heart beat fast? Examine why. I think when you pick a side, the anger and feelings of injustice are far more for the body to bear than a general sadness of the entire tragedy itself. Anger burns like a raging fire.
Also keep in mind, like the post says, the news only brings data. Ironically the news isn't really the news. In fact it's mostly more of the same.
I was starting to identify with one of the groups in the tragedy, rather than seeing the whole. When I ran into this awesome post, it allowed me to dis-identify from those negative feelings; to go within; and re-connect to the WHOLE.