Wednesday 28 January 2009

Between Hamas and Israel.

Ever wondered why it's so hard to have peace in the Middle-East? No, not just between Israel and Palestine, but in general. We have seen so much bloodshed, not just on the Israel-Palestine front (or other Israel-Arab conflicts), but also between Arabs themselves. Look at Iraq and Lebanon for recent examples.

This is just my personal observation, but it seems to come down to a few things:

1. Every warring faction in the Middle-East (not just the Arabs), view their faction as the only faction with the right to rule (and most of the time, they bring up stuff about a divine right to rule the lands they claim). All other factions beside their own are viewed as infidels and demons.

2. The Middle-Easterns have no concept of defeat. Every conflict ends in a "major victory" for everyone. Sounds too good to be true? It is. Just look at the history of conflict in the Middle-East. To mention some of the recent ones:
The Israel - Hezbollah conflict of 2006 ended in a victory for Israel, because they don't have anything to destroy anymore in Southern Lebanon. And for sure, Hezbollah also claimed major victory, they claim that despite the destruction of Southern Lebanon, it has not weakened Hezbollah (of course the destruction doesn't count).
The recent Israel - Hamas conflict also ended in a major victory for both the Israelis and Hamas. For the Israelis it's the same reason as above, for Hamas it's the same reason as above (and of course, the total and utter destruction of Gaza doesn't count).
But you don't have to take my word for it. It has been like that since the 6-day war of 1967.

In short, everything in the Middle-East easily results in religious zealotry and a "major victory" for everyone. It might be easy to claim "major victory" for all the leaders who sit safely away from all the conflict areas. More than just claiming victory and creating more conflict, they should go to the affected areas to see for themselves what their "victory" looks like up close.

My heart lies with all Israeli and Palestinian citizens alike who have been victims of all these conflicts for decades.

Can't they all just make some compromises and get along?