I spent some time Tuesday night with my favorite jazz bassist, Shy Oren, at the G Spot talking about Palestine.
First, I wanted to know if his family in Israel was safe and so far they are.
It’s rather difficult for me to imagine his situation. His parents and siblings are within range of the Hezbollah rockets coming from Lebanon. Like all Israelis, Shy has been in the Army — everyone serves their country in Israel. (I sometimes think that would be a good idea for us, other times I think it makes a country militaristic).
His take on the homeland is that the Israelis are very united and angry. They feel they tried land for peace and it didn’t work, he says. He believes Israel will militarily establish a zone in southern Lebanon that is free of Arab arms and that seems clear at this point — telephone calls, taped, are being made by Israel to all phones in southern Lebanon telling common citizens to evacuate.
Shy also believes there will be an Israeli invasion of Syria, retaking the Golan Heights, and that Israel will try to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities as they did in the 80s when they bombed Sadaam’s Iraqi nuke plant.
Gaza will be subdued by force. Hamas will no longer have any military power because their gunmen will be killed.
This is, of course, a recipe for a world war.
Islamic gunmen are taking over Somalia. The Taliban has renewed strength in the south of Afghanistan. The Iraqi insurgency is killing at a faster pace than ever in Iraq.
Lest we forget, there are also Islamic states in the south of what was the Soviet empire — the “stans”, where American and other European powers massed for the invasion of Kabul. Those places have Islamic insurgencies that strike at Russia from time to time with Chechnya the focal point.
One of the things Shy and I discussed is that the press in America is very very different in its coverage than the free press in Europe and the rest of the world. Frankly, if all you read is American newspapers and/or the American television news, you are not getting the same ideas of what is happening as is the rest of the world.
I don’t believe in an American Mainstream Media cabal or conspiracy, but the view of the world being presented at present is skewed.
American support of the Israeli prosecution of this military action is very dangerous. After Clinton worked very hard to gain Arab and Islamic respect by backing Muslims in the Balkans against the Christian Serbs led by Milosovec, Arabs now believe America is captured by its Israeli paymasters. Yes, that’s an anti-Semetic view of the world.
For America, I think part of the problem, a big part of the problem, is that this Administration and a large portion of the American population is simplistic in their worldview.
And, it’s the most un-Christian foreign policy I can imagine.
Not all problems can be solved by American arms. A gun does not solve all disputes and a bomb is not the best answer to every disagreement.
We have a man in the White House who professes to be a “born-again” Christian. He’s backed by a third of the voting population that identifies itself as “evangelical” or “religious”.
Why do we have a foreign policy that is based on the idea that America is a hegemon and can force by arms its will on the world?
Why are we condoning torture and kidnapping?
Why do we applaud tanks and airstrikes?
What is Christian about that?
“What would Jesus do?” is no mystery. It’s in the New Testament plain as day. Jesus would turn the other cheek, love his neighbor and forgive seven times seventy seven. When the Centurian in the Garden of Gesthsemene had his ear cut off while coming to arrest Jesus, Christ healed him and admonished his disciples for turning to violence.
I understand the Israelis. God is pretty much a tough military leader in the Old Testament. Once, an angel (presumably, the Archangel Michael) with a fiery sword slew 10,000 enemies in their tents in a single night. that’s a heckuva massacre, even by today’s standards. don’t mess with God’s chosen people.
Meanwhile, back in the real world of today, you’ve got a sliver of the American population who are hoping that this will all turn into Armagedden so they can rapture up to heaven.
You can bet there are Arabs who are burnishing that quote from Bush back around 9/11 when he called the War on Terror a “crusade”. You may recall, as do Arabs, that the crusades were not a good time for MidEast-European diplomatic ties.
I hope you also recall that the Arabs kicked Europe’s ass. Jeruselem fell and just about the time Columbus was taking off for America, the Arab world took Constaninople.
Damascus is a far far older city than London or Paris and Baghdad is the traditional site of the Garden of Eden.
Frankly, I think America is in over our collective heads.
Bush’s idea of Arab democracy lacks two things: an appreciation of the need for stability for a democracy to work; and, he forgot that the Arab world did not have the Englightenment, as did Washington and Jefferson and Madison.
He’s forgotten our Christian ideals.
And, this President has no respect for anyone with a differing view.
It is a prescription for disaster.
So, put those vacation plans on hold and cut up your credit cards because gasoline is about to go to $5-6 per liter (not gallon). You won’t be able to afford to heat and cool your house this winter and next summer. Do yourself a favor and buy a bicycle and a cord of wood if you’ve got a fireplace.
I’m very pessimistic, can you tell?