During the siege of Sarajevo, the Danish army NCOs who controlled UN relief flights had a sign behind their check-in desk that read: “Do not confuse your rank with our authority”. For politicians ranting against the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for the Gaza conflict, I suggest one that says: “Do not confuse your self-image with the moral high ground.… Read the rest
“You did it to me so I’m going to do it to you” isn’t appropriate behaviour in a schoolyard. In a region trembling on the brink of an all-encompassing war , where cool heads, informed thinking and sensible compromise are vital, it seems to be the best that egotistical leaders driven by ideology and their political survival can provide.… Read the rest
President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous advice; “speak softly and carry a big stick”, did not preclude using the stick if necessary, a point that seems to escape the Biden administration in its efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. One reason, I submit, is the enforced absence of the foreign Press in Gaza.… Read the rest
Author and screenwriter William Goldman encapsulated the movie business in two lines: “Nobody knows anything…Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.” There’s plenty of evidence the wisdom equally sums up prognostications and pronouncements on today’s major issues; American politics, the three Hs — Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis — and the Ukraine-Russia imbroglio. … Read the rest
The fate of two million blameless, miserable, often terrified civilians in Gaza came down to which variation of words diplomats and politicians in safe places could agree on. The answer was: none. The next “negotiating session” should open with the words of the leader whose name is synonymous with wisdom: “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit – YOU choose.”… Read the rest
Sixteen years before UN Resolution 181 divided Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, Mahatma Gandhi noted: “If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”
What is happening to the children of Gaza ninety-two years later is stupefying proof of how heedless hatred, venal cruelty and short-sightedness displace gentle wisdom.… Read the rest
Having recently once again cheated the Biblical wisdom “The days of our years are threescore years and ten…”, I have found myself wondering why it is that the wisdom that is supposed to come with age continues to be overtaken by an increasing number of things that bemuse, amuse, sadden and often as not, irritate me. … Read the rest
Hamas sees the pitiless waste of Palestinian lives as glorious. Israelis believe they are confronting an existential threat that must be eliminated at any cost. In the end, neither will be able to claim a definable military or moral victory in Gaza. But all is not yet lost.… Read the rest
As any journalist who has covered one can tell you, war encapsulates the best and worst of humanity. Protagonists excel at cruelty, barbarism, hatred and dissembling. Innocent victims display unfathomable degrees of courage, kindness and resilience. Gaza has brought forth a another element; passionate partisanship driven by ill-informed prejudice and intellectual cowardice.… Read the rest
That the Gaza war will be prolonged, merciless and shape global politics for years to come is self-evident. Unless the “never go to war without a plan for the aftermath” lesson of Iraq and Afghanistan is heeded, however, the shape will be moulded by a line from George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra: “And so, to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honour and peace, until the gods are tired of blood and create a race that can understand.”… Read the rest