Insanity

Insanity

by Paul Kowalewski

The tragic and escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians has left me heartbroken and astonished. Every day we hear stories of rockets, bombs, homes turned into piles of rubble – neighbor against neighbor as body counts rise and mothers weep for their dead children.

Yesterday I listened to a fascinating BBC radio interview that gave me a new insight into this senseless warfare in a “Holy Land.”

A reporter was interviewing the Jewish mayor of Jerusalem along with a Palestinian spokesman for Hamas. They both hurled the usual insults against one another, not unexpectedly accusing the other side of instigating and perpetuating the escalating destruction.

Then the BBC reporter asked one simple question of both sides – a question that struck me as getting directly at the crux of the problem.

The reporter suggested that this pattern of mutual aggression has been going on for years between these two neighboring peoples. Over many generations, everyone on both sides have lived under a dark cloud of fear and suffered tragic losses.

The reporter then asked, “Don’t you think maybe it’s time to do something different, to break the pattern of destruction – a political solution, a treaty, a meaningful truce rather than bombs and rockets?”

The answer given to this simple, direct question was astounding to me and also quite revealing. As if he never even heard the reporter’s question, the Hamas representative said that they will continue to bomb Israel, only now more than ever, adding that they are developing new rockets that will be more accurate in destroying targets.

In like fashion, ignoring the reporter’s question, the Jewish mayor of Jerusalem said that as along as Arab rockets keep coming, Israel will continue to strike back against the Palestinians and each time they strike, it will be even harder than before. READ MORE

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