By V. A. Mohamad Ashrof, New Age Islam
18 May 2021
The
Palestine Problem Rather Than Getting Solution Seems To Be Getting More And
More Worse, As It Is Entangled With Islamism, Terrorism, And US Hegemony In
World Affairs
Main
Points:
1. It is Pope Francis who should
take initiative for a possible resolution of the Palestine – Israel conflict
2. The global leaders, including that of the
US, Israel and Palestine should accept Pope’s leadership on the matter.
3. The UN, Arab Nations, Israel, and the
Palestinian Authority have recognized the core issues to the conflict.
4. Fear psychosis is widely rampant throughout
Israel.
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Protesters attend a rally in London
to express solidarity with Palestinians on Saturday.Chris J Ratcliffe / Getty
Images
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The
Palestine Problem is one of the toughest problems of recent global history. It
is over a century old now, and it has been the subject of a large number of
resolutions and inquiries by the League of Nations, the United Nations, and
other international bodies. Rather than getting a solution, it seems to be
getting more and more worse, as it is becomes entangled with Islamism,
terrorism, and US hegemony in world affairs.
The link
between justice and peace is a significant issue requiring both sides’
attention, but, given the wide and currently unbridgeable gap separating the
two sides; it should be included in the process of conflict resolution.
The
objective of this small paper is very limited:
It just highlights the urgency of a new initiative under our Pope
Francis.
The current
conflict is deeply agonizing because of the loss of innocent blood. More than
17,000 Palestinians in Gaza are undergoing another episode of dislocation as
Israel escalated its attack on civilian infrastructure on May 15, 2021. At
least 145 Palestinians in Gaza, including 41 children, have been brutally
killed since Israel began bombing. Around 2000 more have been injured. Even
though the casualties in Israel are much lesser, the fear psychosis is widely
rampant throughout Israel.
The U.S.
government is not considered as a neutral body because of its intimate
relationship with Israel and experience has proved that America is incapable of
solving the problem.
The UN,
Arab Nations, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority have recognized the core
issues to the conflict: 1) Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories, 2)
Israeli acknowledgement of a Palestinian nation and self-governance, 3) Arab
nation’s acceptance of Israel’s right to exist, 4) the right of return by
Palestinian refugees. Nevertheless, even if the core issues are resolved,
peaceful co-existence will most likely not occur until the “human” issue is
addressed by both Israelis and Palestinians.
Image: Associated Press
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The veto
power of the US almost every time has acted as a hindrance over UN resolution
of the issue. Since Jews, Christians and Muslims are claiming Abraham as their
most ideal person, they can settle the issues on Abrahamic ethics. If to be a
Christian, Muslim or Jew one has to love the Lord our God with all of his or
her heart, mind and soul, and to love for fellow human being what love for
oneself. It is the ethical principles and values that are connecting them.
Abrahamic religions share the common roots of "Abrahamic ethics" in
the two great divine commandments - loving God and loving one's neighbours.
This simple formula can solve all global issues.
Peace is
indeed a significant theme also in the Jewish Bible: There is no peace for the
wicked (Isaiah 48:22), but the one who keeps God's law has great peace (Psalms
119:165). Frequently peace and righteousness are linked together (Psalms 72:7;
85:10; Isaiah 9:7; 48:18).
In God's
kingdom, it is a pious act to bring people together who are in conflict. In
Matthew 7:3-5, Jesus Christ taught us that if we are going to take the speck
out of our neighbour’s eye, we must first take the log out of our own eye.
Jesus also said that if our eye offends us, we should pluck it out, and if our
hand offends us, we should cut it off (Matthew 5:29-30). In other words,
believers should be ruthless in seeking to get rid of their personal sin rather
than accusing others. The results of conflict resolution will definitely be
peace. God is the God of peace (1 Thessalonians 5:16) and we show ourselves to
be His children when we seek to make peace in the whole world.
The word
“Islam” itself means peace. The Qur’an 59:23 informs that peace is one of the
names of God himself: “He is God, other than whom there is no god, the King,
the Holy, the Peace, the Defender, the Guardian, the Mighty, the Omnipotent,
the Supreme.”
Pope
Francis is the embodiment of peace on earth. He recently said:
“Justice is the second wing of peace. No one, therefore, can believe in God and
not seek to live in justice with everyone, according to the Golden Rule.”
Religions “should keep watch as sentinels of fraternity in the night of
conflict. They should be vigilant warnings to humanity not to close our eyes in
the face of injustice and never to resign ourselves to the many tragedies in
the world,” he said.
Image: Associated Press
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Although a
gross simplification of the reality, the perception is a conflict between
Muslims and Jews, it is Pope Francis the second who should take initiative for
a possible resolution of the Palestine – Israel conflict.
The need of
the hour is that a faith-based initiative be pioneered by Pope Francis second.
A project on this effect shall be begun immediately. The global leaders,
including that of the US, Israel and Palestine should accept Pope’s leadership
on the matter. All the stakeholders should take part in the peace process as a
bounden duty towards our God and our neighbours in faith.
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V.A.
Mohamad Ashrof is the Joint Secretary of Forum for Faith and Fraternity Kerala.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-politics/pope-francis-israel-palestine-reconciliation/d/124837
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