Tuesday 7th February

I am not even sure if this is a ‘Religious’ conflict at all.  Though some of my friends who happen to be Jewish will insist that even writing about this is anti-Semitic.  This one goes back a long way, how far back is not really known.  What we do know is that for hundreds of years Jews were despised, legislated against and persecuted all over Europe and the Middle East.  No-one can possibly defend this behaviour, and of course, to a somewhat lesser degree, it is still going on today.  The terrible events of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.  But, and here is where things get complicated; should our collective shame over these events blind us from what is happening in the Middle East today?

Fast forward to the late 1940’s.  Promises were made, apparently to both sides during the First World War and after, about who would be given land and independence in the former Turkish Empire, now in the hands of England and France.  Lines were drawn in the sand which have caused problems ever since.  After a vicious campaign by radical Zionists/freedom fighters (take your pick) where several British Soldiers were killed Israel (Jewish) was created and approved by the UN.  Immediately the surrounding Arab (Muslim) countries vowed to destroy Israel.  There were also accusations that many Palestinian Arabs (Muslims) were removed from the land (by the Israelis) they had farmed for generations and huge refugee camps grew in Lebanon and Jordan.

In 1967 there was indeed a war, which Israel won comprehensively.  But….

The Israeli troops did not return to their former borders; in effect a new larger Israel was created in the Occupied Territories.  Negotiations have been brokered over the years and mostly broken down.  Many Palestinians have resorted to violence in the face of what they see as Israeli intransigence; this has been met with even more violence from Israel, which has been generally protected and supported by America and the Arabs, on and off by the Russians.

I see absolutely no prospect of this dispute being resolved in the near future.  Netanyahu, the Israeli leader seems hell-bent on increasing settlements of Israelis (Jews) on land claimed by and often occupied by Palestinians (Muslims).  The current leadership of the Palestinians appears to be less virulently anti-Israeli than former leaders – but this is making little difference.

Seen from the Muslim perspective this is just another aspect of the crusade against them.  Seen from the Jewish perspective, they are still being persecuted, and this was anyway their promised land and they were there two thousand years ago.

And really, this is not just about Religion but rather another hangover from the days of Empire, which some believe was also all about Religion.