That's why, in my view, it's so sad to witness peace groups in the U.S. or Israel or Palestine who can vigorously support new negotiations but who cannot speak out in a clear and strong way to affirm the humanity of the other, to lament the pain that the other has experienced, to publicly repent for acts of oppression and violence done by their own side, and who cannot publicly challenge those who demean either side of the struggle. It takes little courage to denounce; it takes great courage to affirm the decency of the majorities on all sides of the struggle.
When I wrote my book Healing Israel/Palestine (North Atlantic Books, 2003) and its follow up The Geneva Accord and Other Strategies for Middle East Peace (North Atlantic Books, 2004) it was with the intention of showing how to read the history with compassion for both sides. Needless to say, it was ignored by the left media which frequently seeks to demean Israel (yes, Amy Goodman, I mean you, and yes, Pacifica, I mean you, and yes, ZNet and CounterPunch, I mean you) and by the mainstream media which primarily seeks to portray Israel as the "righteous victim" in the same way that the Left seeks to portray Palestinians as the only "righteous victim."
Compassion for both sides, a switch to The Strategy of Generosity, an insistence on educating one's own group to the need to have an open-heartedness and generosity of spirit toward the other side, including the pathologies on the other side and acknowledging the pathologies on one's own side?these are the only realistic ways to achieve peace. Use this as your criterion when you assess any given political move, demonstration, article, speech or whatever in the synagogues and mosques, in the Left media and in the mainstream media, in the organizations claiming to be pro-peace or for liberation, and in the symbolic gestures that each side takes.
Anything short of this is a utopian fantasy. Politics is a manifestation of the spiritual and ethical consciousness of humanity, and it will never solve problems until we are willing to work simultaneously on all the different levels. Till that happens, we can only grieve at the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the start of the Occupation.
Rabbi Michael Lerner is editor of Tikkun and national chair of the Tikkun Community/ Network of Spiritual Progressives.
People are invited to subscribe to Tikkun magazine or join the interfaith organization the Network of Spiritual Progressives-- "both of which can be done by going to www.tikkun.org
Still trying to equate the victims with the conquerors.
If only the Palestinians would be nice, then the Israelis would be nice, and the whole thing would be solved. Talk about utopian fantasies.
Lerner's solution is no solution. It doesn't address the fundamental problems.
Legitimate grievances exist, and all the good will ambassador efforts will not change the "facts on the ground" as the Israelis have named their own strategy of conquer.
Israel needs to be cut off from US taxpayer warmaking funds.
Stop sending your money (by the truckload) to the Israelis, to enable them to expand their borders. That's not very difficult to comprehend. It goes right to the heart of the matter, and was curiously missing in the article I read above.
Israel is too powerful, by design, and with Washington's blessing. They feel confident in routinely threatening their neighbors with aerial bombardment and even nuclear annihilation. This is a criminal regime that needs to be cut down to size. US taxes need to stop supporting a criminal regime. The Lebanon war is evidence enough of their barbaric crimes against the peace.
Lerner was alluding to a one state solution in part of the article. Okay, except the laws would need to be changed to include everyone equally, not special preferences for Jewish citizens. They are not going to do this. This plan is a fantasy. They are literally making life for Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank intolerable, and unlivable. The long term strategy is to get Palestinians to flee voluntarily, which solves Israel's problem.
All peace talks have been sabotaged by the Israelis in service of this plan. A viable Palestinian state was never on the table. Only its illusion.
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