Healing is better than fighting ...

If you take the time to read or listen beyond the primary U.S. press, you will gain a perspective of both sides of the Hamas/Israeli conflict. This deeper research is necessary to gain a broad and neutral understanding of the Middle East conflicts, because the U.S. press leans exclusively to the U.S. political position, which currently supports Israel. Perspective from the other side of the conflict is largely ignored, sometimes inaccurate and always incomplete.

It is important sometimes to bring to light something that is hard to face. When there is a conflict of any kind, but especially a conflict as grave as war, we tend to take sides. It is natural to align yourself with or against a belief or a position. Relative to the Middle East, the overwhelming alignment of Americans is with the Israeli's. The intent of this piece is not to dispute that or attempt to change your alignment, it is merely to give a voice to the other side. Each side of the conflict is made up of equally passionate convictions and equally valuable human life. It is important that we acknowledge and respect the entire conflict,and its aspirations.

What you will discover, as you dig deeper, is that Israel, in this particular conflict, is the bad guy. You will learn from Wallace Shawn in his article "Israel in Gaza: Irrationality"
[http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090112/shawn] that there is a large consensus among Israeli and American Jews of modern times, who harbor and in fact nurture the pain of the Holocaust to justify virtually all of their military actions, and unlawful occupations. Israel is guilty of war crimes. Many of them. The recent air strikes on the Gaza Strip, although retaliatory, represent severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Convention.
[http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090112/falk?rel=rightsideaccordian]

Shawn insightfully and compassionately gives us this : "Jews, historically, have been irrationally feared, hated and killed. Given that background, it's not surprising that the irrationality which surrounded them for so long, the fire of irrationality in which they were almost extinguished, has jumped across and taken hold of the soul of many Jews and indeed dominates the thinking of today's Israeli leaders and their American supporters". "The logical consequences of this view of the world is that in the face of such massive and eternal opposition, Jews are morally justified in taking any measures they can think of to protect themselves."

For many of us, Jews and gentiles, the Holocaust is the most vivid of brutal human atrocities. Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide...has and is happening in regions around the world. Many of the brutal images we see today, are seen through a memory of the Holocaust. There is nothing more painful to acknowledge. Its emotional and physical destruction is enduring and should never be diminished or forgotten. But the Holocaust or any similarly vile human tragedy, should never be used to carry on or justify further destruction. To do so is weak and irrational. Worse, it is cruel. My intent is not to blanketly or exclusively condemn Israel for the bloodshed in the Middle East. Two sides are obviously always engaged in a conflict. Each side having been both the aggressor and the defender...Arabs and Israeli's share blame. Each has committed war crimes, to be sure. But in each conflict, it is worth considering the prevailing motives to fight, definitions of success and recognition as well as cost of victory.

The reality in the conflict, between Palestine and Israel is that the Palestinians have been brutally victimized by the Israeli's for a long long time. They are fighting over dirt, and the right to live in, and peacefully occupy an independent state. Although threatened, Israel has this, Palestine wants it and Israel keeps infringing upon and constricting the Palestinian territory. In doing so, people are dying. It is ironic that the Israeli's in this conflict, are inflicting the very same pain and suffering they have endured, and are compelled to overcome. They are compassionate people, If the Israeli Jews stopped long enough to feel this pain again, and committed themselves to healing vs seeking perpetual revenge than the brutal attacks might stop, at least long enough to question the motive and weigh the value of a tragic outcome Vs a peaceful outcome.

Jews feel threatened, compelled to defend their rights .. for many this is a way of life. They know nothing else, so they gravitate to their suffering. They seem comfortable there. What happened to the Jews is grossly indescribable, unthinkable, horrible .. but dwelling on the hate gives it more power. Using it to justify modern acts of aggression, gives it purpose. Allowing it to influence your mind, gives it presence. Admittedly, it is easy for me to say, let it go... But letting it go is the only way to defeat hatred, once and for all.