There are two great articles on Alternet today that discuss both the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the greater Israeli/Every other Arab conflict.
Both offer a sense of hope for the future. If peace is ever to be achieved in the middle east, it will not be at the hands of a government. It will be when the people on all sides, who have endured and committed so much violence at the same time, can stop the cycle of revenge and retaliation.
The first article discusses how the direct victims of the conflict are striving to do just that= to bury their hate and love their enemies. Half the world away, an American like me can claim to understand, but I can't, truly. It is easy for us to cry out "Stop this useless murder!" with a modicum of emotion and empathy. For those who have lost their husbands, wives, and children, it seems almost an impossible notion.
For those victims- it is a tribute to their humanity that they can set aside vengeance and channel their emotions to serve the cause of peace in their countries. It is far easier to take up a weapon and join those who seek destruction as their only defense. But as these victims can tell you, it only means more martyrs, more victims, more destruction.
The only victory is when the violence stops. Peace is the only solution. Peace is the only victory. Hopefully these brave souls, both jewish and arab, can make more of their countrymen understand this lesson without becoming victims to fully comprehend it.
The Second Article is the story on a more personal level, from the perspective of a Jewish American journalist and his journeys into Lebanon.
EXCERPT:
In all my travels in the Middle East I have repeatedly received the same welcome response. It is one of two Koranic phrases I have memorized. Lakum dinakum wa ana diin. Roughly, they have their mitzvahs (commandments) , and I have mine. I don't pretend to understand the context or interpretations of this phrase, but my entire understanding of Islam -- of the Arab world -- starts here.For Peace- All Understanding on both sides must begin somewhere.
