Peace in the Middle East: The Impossible Dream Bob Hart July 20, 2006

Just as pondering the vast infinity of the universe can send one mad, so too can pondering the seemingly impossible dream of resolving the conflicts that have plagued the Middle East for nearly sixty years.

However the world needs a solution. Now. Tomorrow may be too late. We live in a world of cheap and easily attainable WMD's and any use of such weapons will not only prove disastrous for the region, but the entire world. This may seem far fetched to many people, yet the present conflict threatens to escalate to a level that will drag in other nations of the region and ultimately the superpowers. Make no mistake, when faced with destruction, any combatant possessing WMD's will be tempted to use them. Once these weapons have been used, then Pandora's Box will truly open.

How have we come to this? Every nation is to blame for allowing this deplorable situation in the Middle East to have lasted for six decades.

Forced to survive against enemies intent on its destruction, Israel has now become the dominant power in the Middle East. The David has become the Goliath and the cycle of violence has continued. It is easy to point the finger of blame, continue the rhetoric, to drag up past atrocities, age old hatreds, continued intolerance, to repeat the same mistakes, and to seek solutions through violence. None of these are really solutions.

The attempts to find peace in the Middle East are littered with the tarnished reputations of world leaders, emissaries, diplomats, statesmen, religious figures and the toothless tiger that is the UN.

Self serving interests have played a dominant role in the problems afflicting the region. Consider the current situation. There is a strong possibility the next northern winter will be severe and the demand for oil fuel will reach unprecedented levels. Make no mistake that many companies are going to make obscene amounts of money out of the present conflict. War is big business.

And this war is killing people.

I don't pretend to know all the answers. What I do know is every time I see an image of another child maimed, mangled in this conflict I am sickened, whether they are Palestinian, Lebanese or Israeli. Another dead child is and should be a true dagger to the heart of those who allow this conflict to continue, who will allow the cycle of violence to drag on for the next sixty years. Equally sickening is the sight of Israeli girls writing slogans on artillery shells and Palestinian children chanting for the destruction of Israel.

Does this too indicate a solution must be found now? The first casualty of war may well be the truth, but the worst casualty of war is the loss of innocence - the children. We must not stand by and allow this to continue. Now is the time for all of us - individuals, communities, and nations - to take a stand.

Before the present conflict worsens the first steps to a permanent solution to the Middle East conflict must be found without resorting to the old, tired methods that have always failed.

The time has passed where failure to find peace can only lead to a war in the Middle East that will drag the rest of the world into a war of unparalleled destruction.

Tell me honestly that you can look your own children in the eye and imagine them experiencing what the children of the Middle East go through every day of their lives. For the sake of your own children, can you honestly not do anything to help find a solution? We must all try to solve this once and for all.

As I said, I do not know all the answers, I believe no one individual knows all that is needed to resolve all the problems facing the Middle East. But I believe there is a way if we do not resort to finger-pointing, old animosities, jealousies, intolerance, prejudice, hatred, and racism.

We have to throw out the old methods that have failed and go back to basics, find the first stone of the path of stepping stones leading to a permanent peace in the Middle East.

The First Step

I believe I know the first step. We have to put the children first, before anything else. We all have the duty to ensure every child in the Middle East, of all nationalities has the right to lead a life without fear. To lead a life of peace, and security. To have a future without the prospect of facing never ending violence, hatred, war.

It's simple. If we fail in this simple quest, then we all should be ashamed.

Can we make this impossible peace in the Middle East a reality? If we cannot, then God help us all.

Editor's note: Bob Hart has been writing privately for several years and compiling material for a WWII novel. He has been referred as a typical "Aussie bloke" who loves his football and model trains. Bob is in his early 50's, works at a hardware store, and is an avid commenter to this website.