Middle East

The Crisis in the Middle East: Enough is Enough

by:  Somm Tabrizi

In the waking of the post-September 11^th era, a new war has risen to the forefront of the world stage.  As our world slowly and painfully recovers from the horrifying attacks that took place that infamous day, we can do nothing but helplessly  watch as another war leaves our hopeful images of world peace as nothing more than mirages in the distance.

Newscast after newscast, documentary after documentary, we continue to hear and see images of cold-hearted killing, human suffering, heartache, and indescribable pain.  As the people of Israel and Palestine continue to fight their war of territorial and religious implications, there is no telling how long it will continue before it is finally put to end.  At what point will Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, along with the forces that are helping their respective sides, finally come to their senses and say that enough is enough.

A simple, unanswerable question looms in our minds: How much more killing, incomprehensible suffering, pain and brutality must go by unnoticed before these two sides will make significant efforts to stop this madness?  Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat need to gather whatever human decency that is left in them, and realize that this war must end, not only for the sake of their people, but for the sake of humanity.

In recent times, this crisis has escalated, the stakes have risen, and it has become an all-out war.  This battle, being fought between two countries in turmoil, over a supposed land dispute, is now involving more and more innocent people, and they are the ones who are suffering. The innocent civilians that occupy these two lands are not only living under highly difficult conditions, but they are becoming more and more endangered by the constant violence between the two sides.  In fact, many of them are taking part in the violence themselves.

Some are driven to the brink of insanity and are committing terrifying acts of war.  Others are made to believe that their acts of violence are justified, and that they will be heroes or martyrs if they take actions that harm the opposing country.  They are driven to think that by killing themselves, they help a greater cause, hence the suicide bombings.

However, by committing these acts of war, not only are many lives abruptly ended, but many people live with constant fear for their life.  They then seek retribution and there is more suffering and brutal killing.  In simpler terms, the cycle continues.

Two cultures in turmoil, two countries at war, millions in pain, and all for what?  What Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon need to realize is that no matter what they plan on getting out of this war, the negative consequences of such a crisis are far more significant than any positives they feel they will get out of it.

What makes this war even more appalling is our apparent and obvious lack of learning as a society.  One cannot help but think that history has simply repeated itself and we have learned nothing.  The crisis in Kosovo was a war that was very similiar to this one in many ways.  Hundreds were killed, and many innocent lives were put through immense suffering, yet it appears that the people of Palestine and Israel are suffering much the same way.  After seeing all the brutality of that war, and all the suffering it caused before it was finally ended, have we not learned anything from it?  Did the world not gain an understanding from this tragedy that would prevent it from happening again and from making people suffer in those circumstances?  It appears that we have not.  The Albanians and Serbs fought a war much like this one; a fight over territory contaminated by ethnic hatred

If this is a war over land, as we are made to believe it is, then this war is even more useless.  Nothing is to be gained from fighting over which country gets more land, apart from personal preference.  Sure, many countries would love to have wider boundaries, but fighting a war over the amount of land that these two sides receive serves no purpose.  In the end, the two countries will always be geographically situated next to each other and they will have to settle their disputes sometime.  However, as more and more people find suffering from their war, “sometime” might as well be sooner rather than later.

What frustrates a spectator on the outside, such as myself, is that rather than making efforts and strides to end this crisis, Arafat and Sharon’s respective sides are doing nothing more but worsening an already helpless situation.  By continuously attacking each other they are doing nothing but adding fuel to this war’s ruthless fire.  Never was this more evident then when Ariel Sharon’s troops surrounded Yasser Arafat’s compound with tanks and refused to let him go.  For weeks, Palestine’s beloved leader was surrounded by Israeli forces, with no possible way to escape.  However, it is very unclear to me what purpose such a siege served.  They had no intention to harm Arafat, nor should they have, for this would have created immensely disastrous ramifications from the Palestinian community.  Yet, if they did not plan to do anything with him, then it is very baffling to try and explain why in the world they would hold him in the first place.  The only affect this had on the war was that it intensified the anger of the people of Palestine, and in revenge for capturing their leader, they then attacked the people of Israel through a series of planned suicide bomber attacks.

The country of Israel says that they are fighting a war against terrorism, however, if this is true, then Israel is giving the world contradictory messages.  As they fight against Palestine, they are taking part in the terror themselves.  If they claim they are fighting against terrorism, yet they are taking part in it, they what can they possibly be fighting against?  By terrorizing the innocent people of Palestine, they are no better than their hated counterpart.

Although it is very hard to imagine for people who are not involved in this war, the families that are living in the midst of this violence are just like the families in our society.  They too, are probably families consisting of a married couple, with children who go to school.  The blood in them is red, and they are all human beings.  The only difference between a Canadian family and an Israeli or Palestinian one is, that here, we feel safe.  Unlike the people of Israel and Palestine, the mothers and fathers in our society can go to work in complete safety, knowing that their lives are not in danger.  Their children can go to school in an environment where they can learn and enjoy themselves freely, and without fear of death of injury.  However, everyday, mothers and fathers in the Middle East go to work in fear, in fear for their own lives, and in fear that the next bullet between the two sides, or the next bomb that explodes, may hit their beloved children.

It is very ambiguous to try and understand why this war must continue its horrific ways for so long before concerted peace efforts begin.  Yet when, and if, a peace treaty is signed, there will be many experts in the political science fields that will analyze it to look for the side that claims victory.  But to us, the innocent bystanders, is there and should there be a victor?  To us, the only likely outcome from this war will be shown in the cemeteries, in the hospitals, and in the people’s hearts.  The territorial and cultural victories will be hollow in comparison.

Although it seems unlikely, Sharon and Arafat must come to the realization that their disputes should not be settled with tanks, but if anything, they should be settled with words.  In the lyrical words of the late Marvin Gaye, “War is not the answer”.  What remains to be seen, is when Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon will finally figure this out.