Another Mideast Peace Talk

In a conversation with the spouse, she asked a serious question. “If some source had given us $1 for every “Mideast peace talk” that has been conducted since Lawrence of Arabia, how large would our portfolio be today?” She went on: “At the least we could get a brand new Hummer with the gold leaf paint option.” The thought of the immense wealth which could have been generated by such a proposition is mind boggling. Is it safe to say that there has been one every hour, on the hour, for the last sixty years?

A report of the “lasting peace” in that region has been in the news constantly. It has been the font of photo ops, breathless reports, propaganda, and not least, the basis of several Nobel Prizes awarded for non-success. The characters in the drama change constantly but the script remains the same. “We will give you this, if you will do that.” “We will cede this piece of property, if you will behave and stop sending rockets our way.” “We are exercising the will of our people by allowing them to kill you and be killed by you.”

I would suggest that even global warming has been fueled by the hot air expended in the course of these negotiations. It has become a cottage industry in that part of the world as well as the UN, Camp David, Tel Aviv, and anywhere else they can find a table large enough to seat the participants. As a result, Israel and adjacent countries have been a permanent armed camp and in a state of siege since the formation of the state immediately after WWII. Unfortunately, any leader which the people of Israel select to lead their government has, as his principal duty, the role of commander-in-chief of the military. For their survival, all other departments of the state come in a short second. The same applies to their counterparts in the neighboring countries.

Those Christians and Jews who read their sacred books and understand their history will learn little here which is news. What, after all, is the story line in the Pentateuch other than the use of the Jewish people to illustrate the theme? Defiance of the will of God is the common thread. Peace-war-peace-war-and on it goes; century after century, millennium after millennium; it is a constant repetition of an all too familiar pattern. How anyone can hope for peace in the face of near constant disobedience is a mystery. Add to that the presence of Islamic extremism and the traditional powder keg becomes all the more lethal.

Any thinking person would embrace the prospect of a peaceful solution in that area. Unfortunately, peoples conditioned by centuries of hate have little regard for the needs of others. There are folks on both sides of the issues which plague governments who are decent and yearn to live in peace and harmony with their neighbors. So long as certain factions are allowed to foment a cauldron of disruption and mistrust no peaceful solution will ever be found.

Meanwhile, we currently enjoy hearing about “Peace Talk, v.3588776” and yet another lame attempt to ameliorate hate.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon