While I was in Provincetown, I saw Promises, a documentary in which 7 Palestinian and Israeli children were filmed over a two-year period.
The documentary, filmed by a Jew, did seem to me, to have a slant in favor of the Palestinians. It certainly managed to highlight their plight without emphasizing the fear Israelis face over suicide bombings. Aside from that, the message I got from the film was simple: Children are born ready to love and embrace each other, then are taught hatred at a very early age.
The most touching scene perhaps was when twin Israeli boys maybe 11 years old are brought to meet a family of Palestinian children, and they all wind up playing and laughing together like school chums. Two years later, there is no hope for them as friends. The seeds of hatred are far too deeply planted. For the Israelis it seemed to be mostly about fear. For the Palestinians it seemed to be mostly about anger.
I've thought a lot about the war in the Middle East, and I have always felt far too uneducated to talk about it in depth. I try to study as much about it as possible, but in the end I think the only way I can speak is to go with my gut instincts.
I'm not a political scholar, and sadly, I have never been to Israel, so I think I'll just tell you what I think and feel, and you may or may not agree.
What has always come shining through to me is this: The true enemies of the Palestinian people are the Palestinian leaders and the leaders of the surrounding Arab nations. The Palestinian leaders have either been useless figureheads who refuse to admit their failures or warmongers who only want the destruction of every Jew in Israel.
Certain Arab leaders have never done anything to help the mishmash of people from various Arab nations whom we now call Palestinians. They have not let them into their own countries, and they have clearly seen them as valuable only as a pawn in their public opinion war against Israel. These Arab leaders have purposely done nothing to improve the lives of Palestinians because they want them to be a shining flag of martyrdom and anti-Semitism.
To this end, they have succeeded.
Anti-Semitism is the worst it has been since the Holocaust. Israel has been attacked by countries all over the world as a murderer and warmonger for simply defending itself.
No rules that apply to anyone else apply to Israel. Even the term "refugee" has been changed for the Palestinian. For them, "refugee" applies to anyone who had been living in Israel for more than 2 or 3 years, and their children. So 750,000 refugees are now in the millions.
Why have the Arab nations not talked about the right of return of all the Jews who were kicked out their countries, their positions taken, their lives threatened?
If I were running things in the Middle East, I would say, simply, "Let's stop trying to get along and accept the fact that at least for this generation, the hatred runs too deep." I would create a separate Palestinian state, erect a 20-foot wall (a wall is in progress, anyway) and say to the Palestinian people, "Have a nice life. Please go in peace and never talk to me again unless you come as a friend."
Israel has always been willing to come to the peace table. Time and time again it has tried and compromised and tried again. Israelis want to live their lives without fear of being murdered by suicide bombers. They are human. They want and will always want peace.
I know that many innocent Palestinians are caught up in all this and are living in less then adequate conditions. They want a nice home. They want peace. They want a good life for themselves and for their children. They are human, and they deserve these things.
So I say to these people. "You can see what your suicide bombers and your hatemongers and your useless leaders and Islamic fundamentalists are doing to the peace process and to you. Rise up and stop them.
"Tell them to shut the fuck up!"
I have never liked President Bush. I don't care for the Republican party, anyway.
But I have to say that this bold speech he just made asking for the replacement of Arafat and the halting of terror and for a total restructuring of the Palestinian leadership was right on.
Arafat is a terrorist, a murderer, a liar, a double-talking false leader, and he needs to go, yesterday. Hamas needs to go. Terrorists need to go. The Palestinians need to get rid of bloodthirsty pseudo holy men who anoint themselves as godly and then call for the murder of innocents.
If I were running things over there, I would exile Arafat to Brooklyn and have him spend the rest of his days living in the Chasidic section of Williamsburg.
Bon voyage, motherfucker!
