I’m much tempted to return to my long, angry rants about Netanyahu (he’s as evil as Hitler) and the Israeli Right, but I’m going to resist that temptation. Though I want to be clear: people of good faith have a duty to call out injustice and condemn evil.
I am, however, more persuaded by the action of the valedictorian candidate scrapped by USC’s gutless administration. (I’m going to assume you know the story; google if you don’t.) This brave young woman was scrapped from the ceremony because of her endorsement of a two-state solution for Palestine-Israel — something continually supported by the NYT’s Tom Friedman, one of the best commentators on the ugly, tragic, evil situation continuing in Gaza.
I’m going to go further than a “two state” solution. I urge us to struggle for one state, composed of members of all tribes and religions (Jews and Muslims, Christians and secular folks, Israeli’s and Palestinians) “from the river to the sea” — the Jordan to the Mediterranean as the saying goes.
Impossible, you say? Yeah, probably. But try to imagine it. Then try to work for it.
I suspect and honestly believe that most who live in that troubled land are good folks, not the hateful bastards running things now. They do get along in their daily lives. Just like here in the US where it’s primarily power-hungry pols like Trump and (sadly) Genocide Joe who promote divisions for their own benefit. They’re ideologues or, in biblical terms, idolators, pushing false gods.
Imagine “Palestine the Beautiful” — a land of prosperity and peace. Imagine a place with no need for the murderous IDF and groups like Hamas. Farmers and industrialists collaborating. No checkpoints. Priests and Imams and Rabbis meeting for cups of tea or glasses of wine. Kids going to school together and neighbors sharing greetings every morning and evening. There’s a beautiful photo being shared widely on FB of two little boys, one an Israeli and the other a Palestinian, with arms around each other’s shoulders, smiling. Wish I knew how to reproduce it here, but you can imagine it.
So dream the impossible dream.
Then contact your local and national politicians — Jews like DeGette and Polis in Denver and their counterparts nationally; Denver’s Rep. Iman Jodeh is already on board as would be many others given the chance.
Maybe the impossible dream of one peaceful state from river to sea would at least open minds to the realistic possibility of two collaborating states. Read Friedman in the NYT, a man, a Jew, who obeys the meaning of his name.
That’s it. That’s my alternative to the angry rant.
