The war in Gaza is getting to its 12th day and still the end is far away. It makes me think whether the violence is legitimate.
I grew up in ISRAEL, as a child I was taught that violence was wrong and if there is a conflict I should resolve it with words. We are obligated to talk. At 18, I joined the army (IDF, as you may know it) and there I was taught that there are some conflicts that are irresolvable by words only.
I finished the army and went to the University to study political science. I was curious to find out why people are building a community to get security and reduction in violence on the one hand, and on the other hand, are acting as a stimulus by leveraging violent acts.
12 days ago the war began; the violence escalation has been going on for the last 8 years between ISRAEL and HAMAS (it's actually with IRAN, but that’s for another discussion), over what?
Is it for religioun or culture? Or perhaps the fight is over a territory?
I really don’t know and it seems no one else knows either. There is the theory of Samuel P. Huntington about the Clash of Civilizations over religioun as the main cause. If we are fighting over our beliefs of God are there any other ways to make us understand each other's God without violence? In the end we are dying for the one who made us come here.
Maybe it’s a fight for our culture, the democratic – liberal world against the conservative – Islam for domination of the world. Suppose that’s the case, why can't we solve it as any other international disagreement with the help of institutions such as the UN? I have started to question the international community's will and ability to solve problems.
The Middle East is full, there aren’t any free territories left for a new country and any new territorial entity will rise up from the division of an existing one. The question is which country is willing to separate from a piece of land and, if so, in what circumstances? For the time being, it seems that war is the only way.
So, as you can see, the violence seems to be legitimate for now without any other political solutions. The international community is still weak and couldn’t enforce its will over an independent country and sure can't enforce its will over a terrorist organization.
Until then there is only one thing I can say as an Israeli: go IDF!
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