The Middle East

A never-ending quagmire?

In this extended episode, Laurance asks why the Middle East, focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian situation, remains such a quagmire. He attempts to give a balanced perspective which will not shy away from criticism, but will avoid retreating to any one specific narrative which is likely to allow our emotive “elephants” to dominate our more reasonable “riders”.

It makes good sense to begin with the hope that the only way forward, apart from pointless, never-ending conflict, is one which empowers both sides to work together. With a view to moving in that direction, Laurance proceeds to identify a number of what he calls serious issues which have served to distract many from what he calls the “core” issues. He suggests that until these core issues are widely acknowledged, the other issues will remain unresolved.

Many would agree that the most urgent “serious” issue is the ongoing tragedy in Gaza concerning the toll on the lives and livelihoods of its Palestinian residents, and the destruction of much of its infrastructure. The rebuilding of Gaza should be a priority that does not await the allocation of blame to this or that side. The ongoing Israeli occupation of the West Bank is also a serious issue, although the term “occupation” distracts from the core issue because the Palestinian territories were not occupied prior to 1967. Likewise the important question of why so many Palestinian refugees remain without a proper home.

Reflecting on the actions of governments in the immediate region, Laurance points to a complex tapestry of historical events that saw attempts at a Peace Accord fail more than 25 years ago, and the subsequent elections of the Likud coalition in Israel, under Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Hamas in Gaza. After commenting on the dubious legitimacy of the world-wide demonstrations that have taken place in support of Palestinians since October 7, Laurance comes to the “core” issue, namely, the deeply-held conviction among Palestinians that their true home is the whole state of Israel, and that the “right of return” which currently applies to Jews around the world, should rightfully be applied to Palestinians.

Digging a little deeper, Laurance suggests that this conviction has its source in the contentious view that for many people in the region, the mere existence of a Jewish state, no matter how small, at the very centre of the Islamic world, is unacceptable. This idea reaches into key historical and religious matters which will be addressed in a future episode. Laurance does articulate a general principle according to which acts of atrocity or terrorism committed by a small number of individuals in the name of a larger group, must be “called out” by members of the larger group.

Laurance invites listeners to consider a number of questions, some relating to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, but others of a more general nature concerning the connection between democracy and religion. He concludes on a more hopeful note, by pointing to a growing number of Israeli/Jewish and Palestinian/Islamic voices which not only support the rights and future well-being of their own peoples, but are prepared to be critical of the actions of leaders and governments on both sides. Finally, he points to the so-called 20 point “Peace Plan” which follows 17 points relating to Gaza with a call for an interfaith dialogue based on the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasizing the benefits that can be derived from peace. Yet again, the pressing need to establish dialogue among those most directly involved, points the way forward.

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