To minimise the pain of reminding you of the shocking destruction that is occurring day after day in Gaza City, I have kept this piece short. I have found writing it distressing, yet the story needs to be told. It is part of our grotesque contemporary reality.
As you watch your TV news do you despair? Do you ask why is it that such a catastrophe continues unabated?
There have been volumes written about this seemingly unending conflict. We know the history; nobody seems to know how to change its course.
Human ingenuity has placed men on the moon, spacecraft on Mars, and probes towards outer space, yet no one has worked out how to stop this age-old conflict. Why?
It has been born of hatred that dates back to biblical times. Memories of the stories we heard in church of the endless conflicts between the Israelites and the Philistines are burned into our brain. Despite our capacity to reason and solve immensely difficult problems with the advanced technology we now enjoy, this catastrophe evokes no solution. All we have is déjà vu.
Today, man’s advanced capacity for destruction is such that the damage being inflicted on Palestine may be irreversible. Whole city blocks, which Israel is convinced were occupied by active Hamas operatives, were blown to smithereens, leaving mountains of rubble. Palestine is being deliberately and systematically destroyed to eliminate Hamas. Can there be any resolution when Netanyahu claims the right to inflict such terminal catastrophe? Will Hamas ever stop provoking Israel with its rockets launched endlessly into Israel-occupied territory? We know the answer.
The rest of the world looks on helplessly as the carnage continues.
None of the emissaries, none of the advisers, none of the diplomats, none of the self-proclaimed experts have advanced any feasible solution. Those who might be able to effect change are not listening, or don’t care, or have simply given up.
So all we have is weary déjà vu! Oh dear!
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