SIR GUESTLING THORN

I don't often write about Israel, it’s a touchy subject full of traps and pitfalls. I have Jewish ancestors, although I have never practised the religion (any religion) or identified myself as such. It is clear that the animosity between the Israelis and the Palestinians is one that cannot be easily solved. I am quietly going to suggest that Israel needs to look back to the reason they have a homeland at all. The Holocaust was possibly the greatest crime of the 20th century and the allies at the end of WW2, felt they had to give the Jews a homeland in, what once was Israel. They carved it up as the western allies tended to do and suddenly no Palestine! Whilst i would not even faintly compare what the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians is anything like what the Nazi’s did to them , it is ironic that the lesson has not been learned. You are wrong if you try to impose your will on another community even if they swear they are your enemy. The Israelis are aggressive, no doubt based on their tragic history, they feel they are still persecuted and react accordingly. The current bout of violence does neither of the parties any good and just perpetuates even more violence and intransigence in each side! Yet again violence and war seems to be the only solution to an dispute over territory. The Palestinians are Muslim and funded and supplied by other Muslim neighbours. The Israelis continue to claim parts of their land for themselves and the circle of death continues. I have a radical solution which I have suggested before over violent disputes of this kind. If you want to stop the death toll make peace and live together even at the cost of ceeding land. Indeed I would go further if I was the Israelis and allow Palestinians to  expand their border and have access to all the Muslim places that are in Israel itself.  Better to live in peaceful co-existence than to keep piling up the bodies, year after painful year! There are risks, fundamentally they have different views of how you worship God, even though it is the same God! Which only goes to show the stupidity of people divided by religious beliefs. I know the answer is not easy and there is far more to it than the simple view I have taken but if you have the will to try then who knows what could be achieved. 

Stay well