Sunday, 28 December 2008

Stuck in the middle (east)

Reports like this, this and this really annoy me. And that's not even withstanding what time of year it is (from my own culturally determined perspective).

The Arab-Israeli conflict is an all-round tragedy where people on every side suffer and die for political ends. Even entering into discussion on the underlying conflict can be futile, so wouldn't I be best advised to avoid it where at all possible?

Apologies in advance to all sides, but this is something on which I can't defend the actions of either set of participants: destruction is destructive.

I have my own opinions about what should be done, what can be done and how it is possible to go about doing it, but I will refrain from making any statements in this post (if you wish to draw me into discussion, please use the comments). I don't think the situation is intractable, but it is definitely trapped in a cycle of violence in which each side co-exists in mutually-dependent antipathy.

When will the politicians of the region stand up for common humanity?

This is a subject and a theme to which I think I am bound to return.

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