The last millennia has seen the persecution of Jews, their exodus and their search for land to the extent that it has been mythologised, fictionalised and sensationalised. But this new millennium belongs to the Muslims. Where Muslims are persecuted, and demonised since 2001. The Jews fought for their land, and are winning their battle while Muslims are losing ground, homes and lives in Palestine, Iraq, Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka. An unending list. But lets focus on Palestine for now.
It is all about land, wrote Robert Fisk a few days ago. Israel was once populated by Palestinians before 1948. Before an Israeli Army arranged a mass expulsion to the Gaza strip. The Muslims and Jews were not traditional enemies. Since the 17th century, international law has carried on the tradition that a “just” war has three causes: self-defense, recovery of what is owned, and punishment for losses. The UN in Article 51 uses the same list, for a just war; that it is in self-defense. And before Israel started its recent attacks it has used the excuse of self-defense, a flimsy justification since it is the occupier. At least this much can be admitted by the international community; that Gaza is a camp for storing Palestinians. And that Israel is the first aggressor.
Isreal does not want peace; it wants total control of land. And this battle for land holds religious meaning for them, and symbolic meaning for the west. It is not just about territorial power but a grand destiny. It is unacceptable to them- the thought that Jesus Christ will be resurrected on the site of a mosque. So in the grand scheme of things, most of the world is against Palestine. Couple a religious destiny with unending military power, and we have Israel as an almost unstoppable force. This is the moment for American demonstrators to come pouring into the streets, protesting before their President, but there is too little of that happening. Instead, all the world seems to be left with are editorials, twitter updates, columns and photographs to lodge our official protests. Only, they count for nothing of significance for the Palestinians dying.