Palestinians wallow in suffering, Israelis in power, & peace is dying
It’s been 40 years since the Six-day war … and while the conflict continues to rage, maybe worse than it has ever been, some major things have changed that we take for granted.
So what’s the problem?
Fanatics like the LIkud Party and Hamas continue to chose violence and terrorism over compromise — (government policies that promote violence are a form of terrorism.)
Those who support peace continue to surrender to terrorist pressure; whenever there is a step forward for peace, the terrorists on BOTH sides do something (suicide bombings, murdering civilians, killing leaders, confiscating lands, building Walls, calling each other names, promoting hatred, murder prime ministers) and the supporters of peace respond by backing away from peace. (Dumb, duh!)
The answer to violence is not to allow violence to stop the peace process. The answer to violence is to fight for peace.
When are we going to learn? When are we going to stop responding to statements with more provocative statements? When will we start listening to each other, rather than taking what we hear as insults and throwing them back in each other’s faces? When we will start treating each other fairly and with respect, the way we demand constantly that we each must be treated?
Pre-conditions prevent peace. Yes they do. So why do BOTH SIDES insist on pre-conditions? Maybe pre-conditions are a starting point for peace talks and we should stop making them an excuse not to talk.
Violence prevents peace. Why respond to violence by doing things that make it easier for more violence to continue?
I was told the Wall stopped the violence? Really? Then what are Israelis complaining about if the violence has ended?
This June I’ll be going to Israel and the West Bank with the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour to perform comedy again. We have about 8 shows lined up in Israel … Aaaaaaannnnnnnddddddd … the Palestinians are balking. “Things are not the right time to perform comedy,” one media friend in Palestine told me. “We can’t be involved with Israelis,” another Palestinian theater owner told me …
This is not the right time? Really? When is the right time to try something new? When we have peace?
We can’t be involved with Israelis? Really? Have you looked around lately? You are involved with Israelis every day, in everything you do. Your lives are tied to the Israelis, but you won’t “be involved” with them?
What I hear from the Palestinians is emotion, not reason. What I hear from the Palestinians is resignation, which is a form of surrender to the oppression. What I hear from the Palestinians are more excuses.
I’ll bet if I did a show bashing Israelis and bashing Jews, I’d be able to host some comedy shows in Ramallah and Bethlehem. I’ll bet if I beat the crap out of Israel’s violent actions and closed my eyes to Palestinian violent actions, I’d be cheered on by the so-called Palestinians leaders.
I’ll tell you what, if you are a Palestinian leader saying we shouldn’t fight for peace, then you’re no leader at all. I’m going to fight for peace and I am going to fight to replace your sorry asses as our pathetic, ineffective, do-nothing, whining, always blaming everything on everyone else leasdership. You’re not leaders who the only response you have to tragedy is to encourage more tragedy through hateful vengeance, revenge and cowardly acts of indiscriminate violence against civilians.
Blame the Israelis for everything, but those sad-sack Hamas morons are destroying our country by firing off those stupid, useful and worthless Qassam Rockets. Instead of denouncing that, when Israel retaliates, we denounce the Israelis. And what happens? Israel gets away with killing scores of innocent Palestinians civilians.
When are my people going to be free of ignorance, stupidity and the imprisonment of the mind?
Yalla! Let’s do something different. Let’s fight for peace. Because if you don’t fight for it today, 40 years from now, you’ll be celebrating the 80th year of the occupation. The secular Palestinians will have been erased with almost all evidence of their existence in Palestine, and the Islamicists representing the growing political religious fanaticism which distorts true Islam will have taken over.
There will be no room for you, me or anyone who doesn’t agree with their crazy views.
And if I were an Israeli, I wouldn’t be celebrating all this. Because when the extremists Islamicists take over, they will be a force far more threatening to Israel than anything that Israel has ever seen.
Wake up Palestinians. Wake up Israelis .
– Ray Hanania
Join the Conversation
Ray -
Great article. I’m certainly not celebrating. The recent outburst of violence between Hamas and Fatah is as unfortunate and wasteful as each Qassam targetting Sederot.
And now it seems the confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians is ratchetting up once again. It will lead no where new. Everyone will play their part. Israelis and Palestinians will suffer more (with the Palestinians bearing the brunt). And eventually we’ll end up where we were last month, last year, or last decade. If we’re particularly unlucky, we’ll go further back than that.
But like you, I grasp on to the progress that we have made — like the 4 major changes you mention above – and hope that the situation is slowly spiralling upwards even if it appears to be otherwise.
Unfortunately, Islamic extremists do seem to be making a great deal of headway. And although it would be pleasant to believe that it is in its last spasm, that does not seem to be the case.
I hope that your comedy troupe is booked up at clubs in Israel. I’m curious as to how your troupe has been received in Israel. For what audiences do you typically perform?
Good article, just have two questions
1. When you said
what do you mean? Do you mean civilian deaths as a result of the retaliation to the Qassams? If so, what do you mean by scores? (I guess thats three questions in one, sorry)
2. What language are the comedy shows in? And what is your schedule?
*cheers*when&where are you going to show?I know several people who would love attending:)
“We want peace but we do not want this peace process. A lasting peace is one which is just and fair for all and as long as Israel is enforcing peace their way the Palestinians have to fight for theirs Israel’s peace process is Surrender or War.
Your answer?
What can I say?
It’s on blog
I don’t see how I’m pushing ‘my peace’ on anybody, but OK :S
Ray Hanina – I strongly agree with your sentiments and intentions, but you have to ask yourself, how credible is a peace message which can only be heard by one side?
Here you and I are on the same page. Facts and experience, unlike opinions and beliefs, are real and mutual.
I am sorry to seem to harp on the last Palestinian election but it was startling and appalling. No American party has ever won 70% of the national vote in our entire history. Such a vote would be a colossal mandate.
A reader has to ask himself, “Do the officials that would not let you present a peace message represent the views of the Palestinian people?” You claim that most Arabs and Palestinians have recognized Israel’s right to exist. I would love to be able to agree with you. But that election result makes me unable to.
Still, one can be optimistic and hope that future elections will produce sunnier results.