As those of you who read this column know, I’ve spent the last several months recovering from an acute health crisis which led to me nearly dying. Once I was able to write again, I chose the subjects of my columns well in advance to give myself more than ample time to write and edit them. Thus, I have not responded immediately to the events unfolding in the Middle East but have been observing everything carefully when I do my daily news survey and reflecting more deeply than an instantaneous column on breaking news allows.
Thank you Jim. You have laid out my thoughts far more succinctly than I can even think them. I have been mulling over how to express my opinions about the current situation while remaining congruent with my pacifist beliefs, after having made exceptions to those beliefs in supporting Ukraine. Your intelligent and compassionate writing helped me to organize my thoughts. It is a gift to all who yearn for honesty and thoughtfulness that you have come through your recent health crisis with your intellect and writing genius intact.
I am so disappointed with so many friends on the left, whom I respect, who recently are quick to shut down any effort to hold this situation up in the cup of our hands, to examine it from all angles. I understand their angst for those who are being brutalized, who had nothing to do with the situation. That is always the way with war. I can't understand their eagerness to condemn anyone who dares to have empathy for those who are suffering on all sides. War is the only possible outcome when those who claim to care about peace and justice are unwilling to peer through the eyes of those who see them as their enemy.
Why does no one, including you, ever suggest that the extremely large Arab countries take in the Palestinians and give them citizenship and a new life in their countries? Israel did this numerous times throughout the world for Jewish refugees! At this point I doubt that the majority of Palestinians are attached to that hell hole as you called it. There are at least 2 reasons, and likely many more. 1) The Palestinians are useful to the dictatorships and kingdoms surrounding them to distract their own citizens from the immense wealth of their rulers 2) These same countries regard the Palestinians as troublemakers and want nothing to do with them. Israel returned a large piece of land to Egypt in return for peace. Why weren’t the Palestinians resettled there? Egypt could open the gate to their country and let in at least some of the Palestinians and hasn’t. It’s barely allowing humanitarian aid in!
Thank you Jim. You have laid out my thoughts far more succinctly than I can even think them. I have been mulling over how to express my opinions about the current situation while remaining congruent with my pacifist beliefs, after having made exceptions to those beliefs in supporting Ukraine. Your intelligent and compassionate writing helped me to organize my thoughts. It is a gift to all who yearn for honesty and thoughtfulness that you have come through your recent health crisis with your intellect and writing genius intact.
I am so disappointed with so many friends on the left, whom I respect, who recently are quick to shut down any effort to hold this situation up in the cup of our hands, to examine it from all angles. I understand their angst for those who are being brutalized, who had nothing to do with the situation. That is always the way with war. I can't understand their eagerness to condemn anyone who dares to have empathy for those who are suffering on all sides. War is the only possible outcome when those who claim to care about peace and justice are unwilling to peer through the eyes of those who see them as their enemy.
Why does no one, including you, ever suggest that the extremely large Arab countries take in the Palestinians and give them citizenship and a new life in their countries? Israel did this numerous times throughout the world for Jewish refugees! At this point I doubt that the majority of Palestinians are attached to that hell hole as you called it. There are at least 2 reasons, and likely many more. 1) The Palestinians are useful to the dictatorships and kingdoms surrounding them to distract their own citizens from the immense wealth of their rulers 2) These same countries regard the Palestinians as troublemakers and want nothing to do with them. Israel returned a large piece of land to Egypt in return for peace. Why weren’t the Palestinians resettled there? Egypt could open the gate to their country and let in at least some of the Palestinians and hasn’t. It’s barely allowing humanitarian aid in!