One of the best things about being 20 years old is that I can be idealistic. I haven’t lived through enough history to know better. However, the latest Palestinian/Israeli clash is aging me awfully fast. The situation in Israel has gotten so hopeless that even the TV talking heads don’t know what to do. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s definition of assuring Israeli security involves seeing how much daily humiliation Palestinians will take. Also, it seems that no religious site is too sacred for Israeli tanks.
On the other side, Yassir Arafat has shed his responsibilities as leader of the Palestinian people. Apparently, he would rather be known as “Chief Martyr” than as a peacemaker. His people have followed suit by celebrating the sickest form of terrorism-suicide bombing.
How will any future Palestinians ever recall suicide bombers with pride? As Thomas Friedman wrote, “The Palestinians are so blinded by their narcissistic rage that they have lost sight of the basic truth civilization is built on: the sacredness of every human life, starting with your own.”
But is Israeli military retaliation the correct choice? From what I understand, the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas wants Arafat out of power as badly as Sharon wants him gone. Hamas arms most of the suicide bombers. Sharon retaliates by attacking Arafat, thereby helping to accomplish Hamas’ goal. The reason the Israeli military target Arafat is because they cannot find the members of Hamas.
Israeli military attacks only invite more suicide bombers. The reason people resort to terrorist attacks is that they have already been defeated, militarily speaking. However, just like the U.S., Israel cannot reward terrorist activity, so it finds itself caught in a deadly Catch-22.
Last week, President Bush offered a little hope for resolution of the current crisis by strongly criticizing Sharon and Arafat and sending Secretary of State Powell to broker a cease-fire. Admittedly, Bush’s actions are several weeks too late, but at least he realized that there is no way to defeat terrorism if the Israeli/Palestinian issue is not resolved.
However, I wonder if the issue will ever be truly resolved. There is so much animosity on both sides that I have serious doubts as to whether a Palestinian state could ever peacefully exist next to Israel. These two groups of people have been against each other for several generations. Both sides are virulently racist. They are different in almost every sociological category. Wouldn’t it be excessively optimistic of me to say I had any hope of real, meaningful resolution?
Now I know how the TV talking heads feel. I don’t know what to do. I think I should hope for something because it’s too depressing to despair. If a 20-year-old can’t be idealistic, then who else will be? But regarding this issue, there isn’t much to be optimistic about.