War
I haven't written anything about the Israeli-Palestinian situation because I wasn't smart enough.I'm still not, but I've noticed something other people aren't commenting on.
Ninety percent of the word count about the crisis is bent on establishing the truth. Did this happen? Did that happen? Who's lying? This is, seemingly, a critical element before any peace proposal can be put forth.
This often works in conventional situations. In this situation, though, very few things can be determined as absolutely true.
We know Hamas attacked Israel and over 1,000 Israelis have died. We know Hamas took hostages. We also know Israel attacked Palestine in response and over 10,000 Palestinians have died.
Those three statements are agreed on by everyone, as far as I know. They are beyond dispute.
What else can we say is true and beyond dispute? Almost nothing. It depends on the perspective and the "side" of the person reporting the information, as well as the perspective and side of their sources. How you interpret that information depends on your perspective and side as well.
I wish someone would ask how to craft a policy for peace in the Middle East starting with the notion that the truth is beyond determination and is irrelevant. If you start with that basic premise, where does it lead you? What kind of proposal gets produced?
Maybe that would lead us somewhere. Nothing else seems to lead anywhere.
That's a cheery start to the week. I'll try to be more festive tomorrow.
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