שלום سلام
Salaam (سلام) and shalom (שלום) two different languages, two words for peace.I've always had a hard time understanding why people who use the word 'peace' on a daily basis to greet each other, spend their time fighting. Two people that are so much alike, just never seem to use the points they have in common, to settle their differences. Because it is true, at the end of the day, Arabs and Israelis have more in common than Arabs and Europeans or Israelis and Americans.Obviously, I am not candid and the problem is not that simple.
However, here I am asking myself: is peace in the Middle East an illusion? Is the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict a dream? Am I just being delusional in thinking that peace is achievable?Well sometimes I think I am. I find myself being cynical and get to the conclusion that peace in that part of the world is simply hopeless. George Bernard Shaw wrote that "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
Could it be true? In the end, is the doubt, I find myself into from time to time, nothing more than a mere and accurate observation of the situation?It does seem so when considering what's going on. The election of Hamas and the representation of Israel by Olmert don't give much space for hope. Not only do you have, on the one hand, a group refusing to recognize Israel and, on the other, a government insisting on pursuing a unilateral delineation of the land (eating up some land on the way); but they also refuse to discuss.Moshe Dayan (not much of a peace person) was very wise when he stated that: "If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies."Maybe it is time for both parties to consider talking to each other. To realize that it won't go anywhere by taking unilateral actions or pursuing terrorist attacks. Maybe it is time for both parties to realize that huge concessions are to be made; because, meanwhile, it is the general population that is suffering.
Maybe it is time for peace indeed, but, then, a question arises: is it in anyone's interest? By analyzing the situation one could conclude that peace is, actually, not in anyone's interest:- Arab countries prefer to keep the status quo so that its population focuses more on hating and criticizing the Zionist enemy rather than realize the poor state of their internal affairs.- Israel prefers to keep the status quo so that they can keep as much territory as possible and a dream of Eretz-Israel can, somehow, remain.- The West in general, and the US in particular, prefer to keep the status quo, since keeping the Arabs' attention on the Israeli-Arab conflict, allows the preservation of despotic governments that will assure their vital need in oil.
Nevertheless, I don't want to lose hope. Grass-root initiatives are carried out (such as Seeds of Peace or OneVoice) and the majority of Palestinians and Israelis are longing for a permanent peace. There's place for hope.
What the region needs are visionary and open minded leaders. Leaders to carry on people's hope. Hence, today I want to be optimist; today I want to believe that the Middle East can be an island of peaceful cohabitation; I want to believe that Palestinian terrorist groups will stop killing hundreds of innocent people; I want to believe that the Israeli army will stop attacking their neighbors killing innocent children, women and men along the way; I want to believe that some Israelis will stop acting as Yishuv and just live within their internationally recognized borders; I want to believe that Arabs will stop using unnecessary rhetoric resulting in tensed situation; I want to believe that a two state solution where Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace and security is possible.
So to you my friends I would like to say....
Salaam, Shalom, Okikiamgenoka, Nagaa, Vrede, Asomdwoe, Pake, Selam, Khaghaghutyun, Mir, Pau, Dohiyi, He Ping, Ashtee, Rauha, Paix, Frieden, Irene, Lumana, Bekè, Pace, Phyongh’wa, Pax, Nirudho, Sula, Katahimikan, Pokoj, Paz, Su Thai Binh, Sholem, Layeni, Heiwa ... PEACE.
4 comments:
Glad you enjoyed my blog. Very nice blog you have here.
And thanks for linking to my post.
How unique, someone that wants peace for Palestine and Israel but does not want peace for Spain and Euskal Herria.
Does this peace between Israel and Palestine include the right for Palestine to exist?
Or are we to stick to the Biblical version of this divine peace were it can only be achived when all the "gentiles" are removed from the Promised Land?
Is that "Pake" the Euskera version? It it is, then it is missing an "a". It should read "pakea" or "bakea".
Actually Pake is Peace in Albanian. You see, the world does not revolve around Euskadi.
Regarding your comments, did you even bother to read (and understand) the text? At least, did you see the title? "Peace, Shalom, Salaam". Nobody is talking about removing, exterminating, silencing anybody.
The text is beautiful, and talks about peace and understanding. That's the message
Great Diana for your good thoughts. I really hope that your wishes become real but it is difficult because one of the contenders has no much to win.
I can remember that as a boy, I used to watch on TV terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv, ... I thought that palestians were terrorist and that israelis were innocent victims. In the last years the most of the attacks are made by the israeli army and my thoughts have changed.
Now I know that all of them, palestinians and israelis, are victims. They are victims of History and victims of the demography growth.
In 1948 (when Israel State was born) were 750.000 jews and 150.000 palestinians. Now jews are 5,6 millions and palestinians 2,3 millions. Little space for so much people.
The only difference is that the most of that israelis came from other countries, while the palestinians stayed there for centuries bit this is not important now.
The israelis were victims of romans that expelled them from their earths and now, after the centuries, they want to do the same with the current inhabitants of Palestina.
It is an ancient story, the story of the weak against the powerful. Sorry for the palestinians.
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