Those of us who are equally the friends of Jews and Palestinians must again today condemn the recent attacks on Israeli churchgoers and balance this with disapproval of Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. Our declarations have little to no impact. Outsiders – Americans, Russians, jihadists, Europeans – cannot make peace happen in Israel and Palestine. Only, the Israelis and Palestinians can do it. Yet, developments in the area are having a powerful impact on the world we live in. On the one hand: despair and deep rage; on the other: a determination to maintain at all costs full control over Palestine. If peace is to be ever achieved, the only way out is for the dominant side to make concessions on major make-or-break issues, within well-defined limits. It needs to show good faith in doing so. The dominant side in Palestine is the Israeli government. The make-or-break issue now is the spread of Jewish settlements with the full connivance of the government. Unfortunately, since the murder of Yitzhak Rabin, successive Israeli governments have demonstrated neither political will nor good faith in dealing with make-or-break issues. So unless this changes, both sides are condemned to keep living their epiphany of hate and despair.
Maltese Version
Dawk fostna li jħossuhom ħbieb ugwalment tal-Lhud u tal-Palestinjani jiħtiġilhom mill-ġdid illum jikkundannaw l-attakki riċenti fuq Iżraeljani li kienu qed jitolbu fis-sinagoga, u jibbilanċjaw din b’diżapprovazzjoni tal-politika Iżraeljana lejn il-Palestinjani. Id-dikjarazzjonijiet li nagħmlu ftit li xejn iħallu riżultat. Il-barranin – Amerikani, Russi, ġiħadisti, Ewropej – ma jistgħux iġibu l-paċi fl-Iżrael u l-Palestina. L-Iżraeljani u l-Palestinjani biss jistgħu jġibuha. Madankollu x’jiġri fiz-zona fejn jgħixu qed ikollu impatt qawwi fuq id-dinja tagħna. Minn naħa waħda nsibu disprament u rabja kbira; mill-oħra, rieda biex jinżamm kontroll sħiħ fuq il-Palestina akkost ta’ kollox. Jekk qatt se tinġab il-paċi, l-unika triq hi dik li biha n-naħa dominanti tagħmel konċessjonijiet – f’limiti li jkunu mfissra sew – dwar kwistjonijiet essenzjali. Waqt li tagħmel hekk, trid turi rieda tajba. In-naħa dominanti hi l-gvern Iżraeljan. Il-kwistjoni essenzjali issa hi l-binjiet ġodda Lhud li qed jinfirxu bl-appoġġ sħiħ tal-gvern. Sfortunatament, minn meta nqatel Yitzhak Rabin, gvern Iżraeljan wara l-ieħor la wera rieda politika u lanqas rieda tajba meta ġie biex jittratta kwistonijiet essenzjali. Għalhekk, sakemm dan jinbidel, iż-żewġ naħat se jibqgħu kkundannati jgħixu l-epifanija tagħhom ta’ mibegħda u disprament.
Post a comment