We all know the Israel / Palestine situation is an awful one, the conflict and suffering there is an affront to humanity as well as an inflammatory, divisive issue the world over. Many, believing or claiming to be fighting for the Palestinian cause, may be doing more harm than good. Wearing a Kuffiya and shouting anti-Israeli slogans with a raised fist may be fashionable, exciting and sexy but it is the Palestinian poor as well as ordinary Israelis who suffer as thoughtless aggression simply fuels the conflict.
There are two ways the Palestinian people can hope for liberation; by winning the conflict, or resolving it. Aggression is a useful tool for winning a conflict but, as it turns the situation into a zero-sum game, it actively undermines any attempts to resolve it. Even if the Palestinians were to win the conflict with Israel against the overwhelming odds what would the outcome be? Do we really expect regular Israelis to anticipate mercy and justice from victorious Arab armies? In a zero-sum game the stakes are high; survival itself is on the table and atrocities become justifiable.
Instead, the key to resolving the conflict is understanding. This doesn't imply a blind faith in Human goodness, but does stem from the assumption that the majority of people have good intentions the majority of the time. If this were the case, however, why does such a destructive, pointless conflict cease to abate? Do the Palestinians benefit? of course not! Do the Israelis benefit? No, who wants to live in constant fear, always fighting? So who does benefit? well, there are certainly powerful Israeli business interests, benefiting from stolen Palestinian territory and settlement building while happily insulated from the conflict by their wealth. There also exists a powerful military-political-religious elite who control the Israeli population and international public opinion through fear. Furthermore, we can't ignore the presence of such an elite in the Palestinian territories, living in nice houses while the rest of their people suffer in rubble. World Leaders from all over the globe also shamelessly use the conflict to bolster their public support.
A conflict is about winners and losers, once we identify these players and understand the mindsets of both parties, only then can we begin the make progress towards conflict resolution. Inversely, we could simply dismiss Israelis (especially settlers) as racist, cruel people without making any effort to understand the fear they live in. When those supporting the Palestinian cause call for the elimination of the state of Israel, or fire quassam rockets, they are playing directly into the hands of a small Israeli elite who benefit from the conflict using Israeli fear and Western post-holocaust guilt to legitimize the subjugation of the Palestinian people.
In this way, any anti-Israeli hostility will fuel the conflict to a certain extent; this does not imply a pacifist, 'turn the other cheek' approach but rather that, although less sexy and exciting, for anyone fighting for the liberation of the Palestinians, understanding and empathy make far better weapons than bombs or bullets. Be we Palestinian, Israeli, British, French or American we all laugh, cry, fight, make love, we're all human, so when fighting for something you believe in remember this.
In the words of Sun Tzu 'know your enemy'; a minority elite representing the greedy, selfish part of human nature.
