Our
View
Fatigue
from struggle in Israel wrong
As
the perpetual struggle in Israel rages,
many people, worn from the conflict and
tired of the bloodied images strewn across
their television sets and the front pages
of prominent newspapers, are simply shrugging
their shoulders with indifference.
While this attitude may be a natural response to bombardment of gruesome images,
the pain and suffering of millions of people in the Middle East, at the very
least, deserves our attention and acknowledgment.
Many who have made these war-torn areas their home were not a part of the initial
decisions that led to the struggle today, and while many of them are fervently
connected to the movement, many people living in these places were born into
this perpetual struggle, constantly living in fear and surrounded by hate.
Despite the frustration many of us feel toward this war that has dragged on
for more than two generations, the suffering of these people is something that
deserves our utmost attention.
Now, the conflict has spilled into Lebanon, a country still emotionally recuperating
from its civil war 16 years ago, leaving 203 civilians dead and tremendous
damage to the nation’s infrastructure.
The strife that continues to plague the people in Israel, Palestine and, most
recently, Lebanon has a complicated history. The feud between these nations
began 59 years ago with the establishment of a nation as a refuge for persecuted
Jews and the anger that resulted from the Arabic nations that were forced to
abandon their land to create the new nation. Now Lebanon has gotten in the
mix, further straining the lives of the people in Middle East who had once
been exempt from these problems.
What further complicates things is that there is no definite right or wrong
side in this conflict. Both sides have a compelling argument.
The creation of a nation as a haven for a group of people who have been discriminated
against for thousands of years is an extremely noble thing, yet the indignation
felt by the already suffering people forced to leave their homes and surrender
a part of their land to someone else is entirely understandable.
The one aspect of this perpetual struggle that should not be shrugged off or
easily dismissed is the havoc being wrecked upon the lives of the civilians
living in these nations. Many people living in these areas have never known
peace and the threat of a bombing has become something routine and accepted.
No one should have to live in this kind of angst-ridden environment, especially
people who are suffering from a multitude of other problems, from extreme poverty
in Palestine to thousands of years of persecution in Israel.
Regardless of the seemingly never-ending conflict between Israel and Arabic
nations, it is paramount that we acknowledge the continual pain felt by people
living in these nations. While Americans may be bombarded with graphic images
in the media, many of these people are bombarded with these gruesome scenes
on their doorstep.
Although the struggle is often overwhelming and even tiresome, we cannot let
the emotional needs of these people go ignored.
Our representatives are powerful and influential. Rather than sitting on our
hands, we must be proactive in a positive way to create significant change
in the Middle East and contribute to ending the deep resentment and hatred
that is has become prominent in these countries.
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