All's Fair

Israel and Palestine are at war once again, or are still at war, or are never at war but battling incessantly. It's almost impossible to say which.

This is one of those situations where, before engulfing myself completely in futile rage, I think it best to present the duality of my feelings on this matter. For the short version, watch Spielberg's "Munich" (more on that later).

I have so much respect for the Israelis. They have successfully established a community and culture that is located in the midst of unending hostility and conflict. They have bred warriors to protect themselves and to expand their culturally imperialist regime.

On the other hand, if establishing a close connection to God is what Israel is all about (and based on their desire to be physically close to the historic sites of God's contact with the Israelites - keeping in mind that my knowledge of all God-related stuff is pretty fuzzy - it seems a safe assumption), you have to wonder why they would bring so much suffering on themselves. Israel could have been anywhere. And it could definitely have been in a place where there was less open hostility to the existence of a Hebrew/Jewish nation.

And then there's the whole idea of nationhood which, at this point in global communication, labor flows and cultural homogeneity, is somewhat archaic. But everyone still wants a place to call home. I understand that.

Then there are the Palestinians. How would you feel if one day, you came home to find that 3/4 of your house, yard and possessions had been incorporated into a large new apartment block filled with people that didn't speak your language and who blatantly disregarded your claim to the property that so recently had been yours? Pretty fucking angry and resentful is my guess.

So I also respect the Palestinians for doing what they feel is necessary to reestablish their homeland in the place they choose.

Funny thing about this whole scenario: if there were no nations, and therefore no borders, there would be nothing to fight over. Except that whole cultural misunderstanding, of course. And that's the other funny thing: Judeo-Christian and Islamic values are identical. (There, I said it. In a public forum, no less.) Both religions believe in a male-dominated hierarchy. Both believe in an absolutist measurement of human behavior - you either live by God's code or you don't. If you do, you go to heaven to receive your reward, if you don't, you rot in hell for eternity. (Since when do people actually behave this way?)

And the hysterical part of this religious absolutism - it provides both cultures with the motivation and justification to (attempt to) oppress, insult and conquer the other as its inferior and ungodly foil.

So the Israeli army opens fire on Palestinian women acting as human shields. If you were Israeli (or if you are, maybe) why would you feel that this was in any way a violation of God's laws, much less a cease-fire? As far as you're concerned, these people are not grown from the same molecules you are, and the world is better to be rid of them.

If you were a Palestinian, and you saw this ruthless action by the Israelis...

Let me interject something here. The Israeli army claims that they fired in response to fire from the escaping militants. Whether or not this is true - and given the penchant of all military regimes for lying to protect their own ass, it's perfectly reasonable to think that it is not true - there is NO REASON for the soldiers to fire on unarmed citizens. This is a war crime! (See Rome Statute, Article 8, Section 2, paragraphs (a)(i) and (b)(i).)
Problem is, using civilians as a human shield is also a violation of the Rome Statute (Article 8, Section 2, paragraph (b)(xxiii)).

So if you were a Palestinian, and you saw this happen, what would you do? I know I would pick up the largest, most destructive weapon in my vicinity and kill as many Israelis as I could. But then, that never solves anything.

Back to "Munich": Spielberg sets the battle of man against himself (because really, we are all the same and killing each other to try and get our way is puerile at best) beautifully in the context of the Munich Olypics and its aftermath. Though we, as the audience, might completely identify emotionally with our "hero" Avner, an unofficial hitman enlisted by Golda Meir to protect the Israeli civilization from the Palestinians ("these people, they are unrecognizable"), we can not help but see the futility of his fight against himself - projected in the form of his wife and child, as well as his Black September mirrors. Eventually, Avner breaks with Israel to establish a psychological home with his wife, child and his own measurement of right and wrong. And we get to watch as the moral justifications on both sides of the conflict disintegrate before our eyes, leaving us with the question: What are we fighting for? And we come to find that we are all fighting for the same things - but they are just words: home, family, love, identity. And we also see that we have none of that without our own integrity.

Compare this with Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" (released the same year, intentionally, no doubt). You are looking at two movies that are about exactly the same thing.

As with everything, I encourage you to formulate your own conclusions. Here's the real reporting:
From the BBC News, Al Jazeera, the NY Times, Ha'aretz, and the Jerusalem Post.

It's worth it to read at least three. The overlaps and omissions, even the language, reveals biases on all sides.