War in Gaza

I'm somewhat hesitant to comment much about the most recent and on-going insurgency by the Israeli military into Gaza for a couple reasons. For one, I find recent events too awful to even read about. From the humanitarian crisis now experienced by Palestinians to how generally self-defeating the actions of both parties appear to me, the words that come off these news reports just fill me with dread. Secondly, in spite of emotional responses that have been triggered in me by reading about what is happening, I have a hard time feeling too much sympathy for either side.

Regardless of how anyone feels about who is right and wrong and what either side should be doing, I think we can all agree that we wish to see these horrible events come to an end as expediently and as peacefully as possible. It also seems obvious to me that until we can categorically reject this attitude, there's going to be no end in sight.

(1) Never forget the basics - the core issue is still an unresolved conflict about ending an occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state - everything has to start from here to be serious (this is true also for Hamas who continue to heavily hint that they will accept the 1967 borders).

While I consider myself a pretty liberal person, this ecumenical view whitewashes the actual core problem between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The reason why there's an occupation in the first place, and why there is a dispute over land, is because both sides have a book that they believe was authored by the creator of the universe. These books make incompatible claims about reality (more often than not both are wrong), and both say that this alleged creator promised a strip of land to one group of people over another. Because the contents of these books are transcendent into a metaphysical lifetime, they become a great source of motivation for people who really ascribe to this mythology. The fact of the matter is that Jews and Muslims (and Christians, and Hindus, and Scientologists, Mormons, etc., etc., etc.) are arguing about fictional claims. This is absurd. Until we begin to admit that this is a dispute over superstition we will continue to prevent a rational conversation from taking place that could one day lead a peaceful resolution. Considering the apocalyptic scenarios believers of these iron age ideas hold, there is no time like the present to make every effort to alter our discourse. Time may be running out.