bang their heads together
I’ve just spent the last hour listening to Radio 5’s Nicky Campbell’s phone in on the current ‘Gaza/Israel’ conflict and have to admit it has left me thoroughly depressed and deflated. There appears no solution to the oldest of hatred – Jew against Arab – and both sides are obviously as entrenched as ever, with both coming across as scrapping playground kids, hauled up in front of the head, only for each to claim ‘he started it’.
Of great concern is the growth of far-right groups throughout Europe and the obvious march of anti-Semitism. In France, a Parisian synagogue was bombed and rioters rampaged and pillaged Jewish shops. A footie match between Lille and Maccabi-Haifa had to be abandoned when fans invaded the pitch and assaulted the Israeli players. In Germany, an imam called for the murder of ‘Zionist Jews’. Here in Britain, more than a hundred incidents have been reported since July, including the displaying of placards at a recent pro-Palestine march which stated ‘Hitler, you were right!’ Well, no you weren’t.
By the same token, Israel’s military response is totally out of all proportion. Its claim to be defending itself from rocket attacks does not warrant the level of aggression it has countered with and has understandably lost it much/most of any western world compassion & support.
The fact is the largely tribal Middle-East is in a helluva mess. Most Muslims support the Palestinians and most Jews support Israel. And that’s what makes it so intractable. But sensible, rationale, relatively unbiased people don’t need to think in such simplistic terms. By backing peace, democracy, dialogue and crucially, the right for both sides to exist with opportunity, that is, a two-state solution, we can indeed be both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel. Who’d have thunked it.
On a slightly lighter note, but admittedly no less serious, it turns out that the last Amazon purchases made by two recently-returned-from-Syria-and-arrested UK jihadists, Mohammed Ahmed and Yusuf Sarwar, included ‘The Koran for Dummies’, Islam for Dummies’ and ‘Arabic for Dummies’. Certainly no indoctrination taking place there me-thinks and more a case of two angry young men motivated by aggression, adventure and with thoughts of a good scrap and glorious triumph. Off to the head with the two of you!
