Thursday, January 15, 2009

The story of Gaza

A story that has been retold countless of times in the past 60 years of Israel.

What is Israel to its neighbours, to its colonised victims? It is a cancer, a disease that has inflicted an unbearable pain since it first came to light. It is a state that exploded into existence with firing cannons, and has breathed fire ever since.

Was this how Theodore Herzl envisioned his state to be?

One important lesson I learnt during my time trapped in Lebanon during the 2006 war was that at the end of the day, none of this matters. Zionism, Islam, Shi'ites, Sunnis, Christians, Jews, capitalism, communism, East, West, Israel, Hezbollah, Palestine, Lebanon ... none of it matters.

Take away all the ideologies, philosophies, religions, borders, facades, and what remains of us other than flesh, bone and a soul? Who will remember the dead mother? Or the dead child? In 100 years, would any one even remember what happened today?

Should so many people have lost their lives over 60 years for an idea, a religion, a boundary, someone's vision for a nation?

The only crime the children of Gaza are guilty of ... was being born in Gaza.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

great blog and article

but have you seen the LF and Ouwet web-pages?

they are supporting Israel 100%

cowards they should be banned in Lebanon and join the SLA in Israel.

Antoun said...

It's ok, I know the LF very well, I don't need to read their websites.

It's unfortunate that we still have extremists and fascists in positions of power in Lebanon, but there appears to be no shortage of extremism in our region.

All I have experienced in my many many encounters with the LF is hatred. I have never met a people filled with so much unnecessary hate.

The LF, however, cannot and should not be treated separately to the rest of Lebanon, or indeed, the immediate region. They're all a symptom of the same core problems. A lack of identity, tribalism, and fear.

In order to solve the problem that is the LF, we need to address the core issues for all.

Anonymous said...

Whatever you said on Syriacomment is bullshit. Neithre Egypt nor Jordan will suffer any harm from the Gaza conflict. In fact, Syrian and Iranian regimes will end up losers and their maneuvering will be reduced to say the least once Gaza fighting is over. These two States will appear a the instigators who pushed the Palestinians to suicidal war and they just offered lip service. America will increase its influence in the ME during Obama's administration and there will be no dialogue with neither Syria nor Iran.

Antoun said...

And you base your analysis on what exactly?