Israel: Two People One Great Room
by Diane V. McLoughlin; May 12, 2009
Israeli Jews and Palestinians are equal in numbers, equal in religiosity and equal in their love and
attachment to the land.
One could argue that they are like teenage siblings. They could not be more different yet somehow
they could not be more the same.
Let us say for the sake of argument that they live in God's house. The house is not so big. So they
are told they must share a room. They can't stand it. God says get along. They argue it is impossible.
Each tries to think up creative ways to get rid of the other to have the room to themselves.
"What?!", God roars, "are you not content with what I have wrought with my Loving Hands for your
comfort?!"
IJ and P are dissatisfied. Their hearts are filled with discontent. They covet what the other has. They
commit every offense forbidden that God has carved in stone - against each other, for heaven's sake.
God thunders from the mountain tops...but IJ and P are deaf to their Father's entreaties. Because of
their sin their hearts are blind to His love. His gifts lie, scorned and broken, at His feet; loving kindness;
caring; nurturing; compassion; giving; forgiveness; justice.
There is one room only. Because in reality there really is only one room, there is no such thing as a
two-state solution.
To say that Israel should retain its Jewish character would be like some in the U.S. arguing that America
should retain its white, or British, or Spanish, or Native character - an utter impossibility - well, unless a
side decides to eliminate the other completely.
The thousands of casualties in Israel's most recent assault on Gaza were committed by weapons
donated by us. Rockets fired from Gaza into Southern Israel are fired into land that belongs to
Palestinians languishing in camps in Gaza. They were ethnically cleansed, forced into Gaza in the first
place.
The ongoing illegal, disgusting military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is funded by who? The
military occupation is funded by public and private American donations to the tune of annual billions;
that's billions each and every year with a capital 'B'. It is time for the money spigot to be turned off -
permanently.
To return to our teenager siblings analogy, IJ has been afforded an imbalance of power of control over
the oppressed and deliberately starved P. IJ has blocked P's egress into, and also out of, the room. P
cannot get to the fridge to get anything to eat. In Gaza's case, P cannot order out, either.
If IJ and P continue to try to tear each other's hair out and decide that what they really want is to utterly
destroy their shared room if either can't have it to themselves then that will be entirely up to them. But
if left to their own devices I don't think that this is what they will do.
I have faith in them. But this is only if good intentions in turn are translated into the effort of good
deeds. We must choose, then act. I believe that there are more IJ's and P's of goodwill on both sides
than not. Peace is possible. We must all work to make it so.
The two-state solution is a pathetic faithlessness that different peoples cannot, should not, or will not
coexist. But we can look to the history of America and compare it to the America of today and take
heart.
To me, America is the living embodiment that coexistence of peoples of different backgrounds and
beliefs is not only achievable, but so immanently desirable. The celebratory nature of today's
multicultural America did not take place overnight. It took the hard work and contributions of many,
over many years. The work of creating a more equitable, just society for all citizens was made possible
by the rights enshrined in the Constitution. Rights could only be asserted and protected because they
were backed by an independent judiciary that meted out justice blind to color, race, money or anything
else.
Still, even today there are a few backward holdouts who would discriminate or even hurt people
because of their differences. But then, they bump up against the strong arm of the law.
It's a process, civilization. It's worth everything, in the hope.
I think that Americans continue to grow increasingly aware, and have a growing appreciation for how
enriched we are by our diversity.
It is one of the most difficult of ironies to accept that American Jews who contribute and so enrich the
multicultural fabric of American society at home, contribute in support of the oppression of Palestinians.
Surely they know that by peaceful coexistence we are freed from the darkness of fear, mistrust,
entitlement, exceptionalism, or racism to pursue happiness in the light of generosity, accommodation
and mutual respect.
'Never again', I fear, has come to mean, for some, to never again choose to take a leap of faith in
one's fellow man. What can one possibly say? It is as understandable as it is dangerous to the
security of Israeli Jews to choose to oppress out of fear and mistrust. That way lies the threat to all the
world of a misguided man-made Armageddon.
The death and utter devastation wrought throughout the Middle East looks more and more as if we are
half way there, already. The situation continues to teeter, plainly as does this writer herself, between
hope and despair.
home
by Diane V. McLoughlin; May 12, 2009
Israeli Jews and Palestinians are equal in numbers, equal in religiosity and equal in their love and
attachment to the land.
One could argue that they are like teenage siblings. They could not be more different yet somehow
they could not be more the same.
Let us say for the sake of argument that they live in God's house. The house is not so big. So they
are told they must share a room. They can't stand it. God says get along. They argue it is impossible.
Each tries to think up creative ways to get rid of the other to have the room to themselves.
"What?!", God roars, "are you not content with what I have wrought with my Loving Hands for your
comfort?!"
IJ and P are dissatisfied. Their hearts are filled with discontent. They covet what the other has. They
commit every offense forbidden that God has carved in stone - against each other, for heaven's sake.
God thunders from the mountain tops...but IJ and P are deaf to their Father's entreaties. Because of
their sin their hearts are blind to His love. His gifts lie, scorned and broken, at His feet; loving kindness;
caring; nurturing; compassion; giving; forgiveness; justice.
There is one room only. Because in reality there really is only one room, there is no such thing as a
two-state solution.
To say that Israel should retain its Jewish character would be like some in the U.S. arguing that America
should retain its white, or British, or Spanish, or Native character - an utter impossibility - well, unless a
side decides to eliminate the other completely.
The thousands of casualties in Israel's most recent assault on Gaza were committed by weapons
donated by us. Rockets fired from Gaza into Southern Israel are fired into land that belongs to
Palestinians languishing in camps in Gaza. They were ethnically cleansed, forced into Gaza in the first
place.
The ongoing illegal, disgusting military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is funded by who? The
military occupation is funded by public and private American donations to the tune of annual billions;
that's billions each and every year with a capital 'B'. It is time for the money spigot to be turned off -
permanently.
To return to our teenager siblings analogy, IJ has been afforded an imbalance of power of control over
the oppressed and deliberately starved P. IJ has blocked P's egress into, and also out of, the room. P
cannot get to the fridge to get anything to eat. In Gaza's case, P cannot order out, either.
If IJ and P continue to try to tear each other's hair out and decide that what they really want is to utterly
destroy their shared room if either can't have it to themselves then that will be entirely up to them. But
if left to their own devices I don't think that this is what they will do.
I have faith in them. But this is only if good intentions in turn are translated into the effort of good
deeds. We must choose, then act. I believe that there are more IJ's and P's of goodwill on both sides
than not. Peace is possible. We must all work to make it so.
The two-state solution is a pathetic faithlessness that different peoples cannot, should not, or will not
coexist. But we can look to the history of America and compare it to the America of today and take
heart.
To me, America is the living embodiment that coexistence of peoples of different backgrounds and
beliefs is not only achievable, but so immanently desirable. The celebratory nature of today's
multicultural America did not take place overnight. It took the hard work and contributions of many,
over many years. The work of creating a more equitable, just society for all citizens was made possible
by the rights enshrined in the Constitution. Rights could only be asserted and protected because they
were backed by an independent judiciary that meted out justice blind to color, race, money or anything
else.
Still, even today there are a few backward holdouts who would discriminate or even hurt people
because of their differences. But then, they bump up against the strong arm of the law.
It's a process, civilization. It's worth everything, in the hope.
I think that Americans continue to grow increasingly aware, and have a growing appreciation for how
enriched we are by our diversity.
It is one of the most difficult of ironies to accept that American Jews who contribute and so enrich the
multicultural fabric of American society at home, contribute in support of the oppression of Palestinians.
Surely they know that by peaceful coexistence we are freed from the darkness of fear, mistrust,
entitlement, exceptionalism, or racism to pursue happiness in the light of generosity, accommodation
and mutual respect.
'Never again', I fear, has come to mean, for some, to never again choose to take a leap of faith in
one's fellow man. What can one possibly say? It is as understandable as it is dangerous to the
security of Israeli Jews to choose to oppress out of fear and mistrust. That way lies the threat to all the
world of a misguided man-made Armageddon.
The death and utter devastation wrought throughout the Middle East looks more and more as if we are
half way there, already. The situation continues to teeter, plainly as does this writer herself, between
hope and despair.
home
