As the hostilities continue in Israel
and the Gaza Strip, now for a third week, its quite painful to watch and hear
about war and death and struggle in the Jewish holy land. There are too many opinions on who started
it, who is to blame and who should end, to put it all here. I think what is more helpful is to ask
thoughtful questions about what is happening, so the conflict is not reduced to
simple one word or one line sentences that don’t really delve into the deeper
understanding of the context of the events and how to perhaps resolve some of
the issues.
makomisrael.com had a great way to see the conflict through looking at Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva,
where four values are extolled in the penultimate line, “To be a free people in our
land”. This summarizes what Israeli’s
want.
First “To be”, that is Jews have
known for centuries what it was like not to have a homeland, not to have a safe
place to live and suffered through attacks none worse than the Holocaust. At what point will the Jewish state be
allowed to simply live in peace without the constant threat of war and
destruction?
Second, a “people” relates to the
understanding that Israel stands for more than the sum of its parts. Israel represents the Jewish people as a
whole, who live there and in all corners of the world. It is the Jewish
homeland, and every Jew tries to visit and faces her when he or she prays. Jews are connected to the country in a
visceral and emotional way, that traces back through our history and very soul.
Third, “in our land” is perhaps the most
controversial part. This land was
promised to the Jewish people by God as written in the Bible, and we began our
journey as a people in Israel. The
Romans exiled us from the land around 70 CE and we yearned to return and
finally did officially in 1948 when the United Nations voted to create the
modern state of Israel, as it exists today.
However it is obvious that when the UN made that vote, it was not a
perfect situation as many other peoples lived on that land over those years and
through until today. How are borders
established when many people lay claim to one piece of land? What about when wars happen and people move
from one part of the land to another?
Fourth, “free” - how do we understand freedom? Is one free to do anything or are there some
limits, in terms of violence or speech that can hurt others? If one is attacked, how should one
respond?
As one addresses these questions in
light of the conflict, we can see that there are no easy solutions. Jewish traditions maintains that we are a peaceful
people who pursue peace and value life above all. However we also have sources that allow us to
defend life when someone rises up to kill.
Here lies the major issue. Today
Israel is in a state of defense, to protect its citizens and borders from
terrorist attacks and hand held rockets fired from Gaza and landing in
Israel. To properly defend the country,
Israel must prevent these attacks from where they originate in Gaza, which is
under the control of Hamas, a terrorist organization that in its charter that
they are struggling against the Jews and call for the creation of an Islamic
state in place of Israel and the obliteration of Israel. This is why Israelis planes target missile
launching sites in Gaza and why the army has moved into Gaza to root out
terrorists, close up weapon smuggling tunnels and prevent more attacks. I hope
and pray each day for an end to the hostilities and that the two people can
come to some sort of agreement to share the land, without resorting to
violence. I am realistic to know that
peace is hard to achieve and may not be at hand, but I am also optimistic
enough to say that looking back at history, there have been longer conflicts
and that hopefully the time will come when we shall lay down our swords and shields
and turn them into pruning hooks.
