Around the end of December, before the New Year of the Gregorian calendar, the Middle East decided to blow up again.
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This is nothing new.
There is no surprise on my face as I watch coverage. Talks commenced on how to end this war.
But no solution has been reached. Some take the side of Israel — actually, it seems most do in the United States. And how can they not? Israel is under attack by Hamas rockets. Israel has fought an ongoing war for survival in the Middle East for the past 60 some years, and retaliation is only an aspect of war. More and more countries recognize it as a legitimate state — countries that once swore death to Israel.
Then there are the few who consider the side of Palestine. It is, in effect, an occupied territory. It has been for more than 60 years now, ever since the end of World War II. Hamas, believe it or not, is an elected, legitimate government, much unlike al-Qaeda. Like any area under siege, it is going to fight against those who attack it. Palestine is the underdog in this bloody tale, but this is no fantasy, and against one of the best militaries in the world, Palestine has little chance.
So who is right? And where is the end to this conflict?
Answers vary, of course. There is no objective right — there never really is in any debate, not without introducing a whole slew of subjective information as "given fact." So that bit can be ignored.
However, the end is something that can happen, and hopefully can come about without a forced irradiation of the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Jerusalem. There was a chance for peace at the 2000 Camp David talks between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, but it seems that in this world, more and more people of peace die by the sword — or nowadays, the gun. This isn't exactly encouraging more men and women of peace to step up to the world stage and try to force a diplomatic solution.
So let us ignore diplomacy. Let's even ignore our screaming personal opinions as to who is right. I did, and I arrived at an interesting conclusion.
The answer lies in religion. The war will end when religion is taken out of the equation. It is not the nature of Islam and Judaism to war against each other. I have Jewish friends, friends who I feel perfectly safe talking to about this very inflammatory topic. But if one faith is introduced violently and suddenly into the realm of another, no matter what faith it is, they will clash, and those faiths will emerge as distinguishing lines to separate the sides.
We have tried the diplomatic channels. We have tried military force. Nothing goes anywhere, except for the body count. It's time to try a different tactic in resolving the Palestine-Israel conflict: religion. Approaching both sides with moderates of both religions as emissaries is the first step. For example, moderate and liberal Muslims in Palestine could calm down the cry for action and eliminate the need for such groups as Hamas. However, both sides must act at the same time. If Palestine is calmed and Israel attacks, the faith in peace of the people is shattered.
After introducing moderation into religion, then the sides may begin dealing with each other. Talks between those who aren't hot-headed would have quite a great deal more impact than talks between leaders backed by religious reasoning. Both governments should focus on a radical, new, fascinating concept that should be introduced to the Middle East, along with moderation in religion. It's a concept that might calm both religious fanaticism and land disputes, something that should have been tried (with tempers tamed) a long time ago.
It's called sharing.
Tanvir Ahmed Shumon is a junior at Manheim Township High School. E-mail him at YourLife@LNPnews.com.
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