2006-01-26
Terror In Palestine Has An Address
There's no denying now the wishes of the Palestinian people. The group that basically invented suicide-bombing is now an official political party, elected by a majority of Palestinians. A party and now elected government whose creed calls for the complete destruction of the State of Israel.
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Six: I am actually very hopeful about this development. As best I can tell, the election was authentic. That is an enormous first step forward. Now "the people" have the government that "they" want. This new step advances them to a crucial crossroads. Like the Germans of the 1930s, "they" can use their new power of democracy to hand this power over to dictators. Or, they can maintain a democracy that devotes itself to war with Isreal. But because I view such a goal as fruitless, whereas the alternative of co-existance with Isreal can lead to prosperity, I predict that the path of pursuing war holds the hope of leading increasing numbers of Palistinians to eventually conclude that acceptance of Isreal offers their best chance of peace, freedom, and prosperity.
Remember that the northern Irish eventually swallowed a similar bitter pill. For decades that seemed impossible. It seemed that a strong enough fraction of northern Irish prefered poverty, violence, the promise of eternal justice, and in the meantime blaming of all their woes on an injustice. But eventually a strong enough majority of northern Irish prefered to swallow that ever-more ancient injustice as an increasingly less inpalitable price for advancing onward to prosperity and peace.
What nation ever in the history of humankind has its origins free of some great injustices? Surely the fabled civilizations of Egypt, Persia, Aztek, Eithopia, Maya, and all the rest have histories no less soiled than the contemporary nations of the US, Isreal, etc. Should Ireland and Palistine be perhaps the first to correct their respective original sins? What is special about the US and Isreal and Britain is that the people who can genetically trace themselves back to people who were "done wrong", they find themselves in a democracy, where -- if their drop their arms -- have the chance to live in freedom. For my money, that more effectively corrects the wrongs in the most effective possible manner.
Having the reins of government might just cause Hamas to transform itself into a positive direction. For one thing, its leaders may learn that a crucial fraction of its support represented not support for perminant war against Isreal, but as a hope for better governance than the appalling curruption of the PLO. And Palistinians who think that constant war with Isreal is "the way forward" will now have a chance to test their hypothesis. Having their wishes met might open their minds to what their cousins in Isreal have to say: Living with Isreal leaves room for peace and prosperity. If the anti-Isreal vitriol does disappate, Isreal itself will surely become more open, and Muslims will have free and easy access to their holy places.
What is most interesting to me is that the US, European and Israel, the so-called "democratic nations", are upset about these democratic developments.
They are also the ones who are talking about how they will NOT cooperate with the democratically elected government. Imagine that. These are the same people who supported coups to depose the Aristide in Haiti, Chavez in Venezuela, Mosadegh in Iran, Allende in Chile, and other democratically elected governments.
Why is it that democracy is only a good thing when the people agree with your side?
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