Liars Never Win!
Reader comment on item: Arafat's Failure May Offer Seeds of Hope

Submitted by Les Lieberman (United States), May 6, 2002 at 20:20

Once again, Daniel Pipes sees the reality of a Middle East in which Israel survives. Continuing in this same line of thought, the PA sees a Middle East where all Jews are there only to be pushed into the sea.

I am glad that Daniel Pipes has made it his mission to "tell it like it is!"

My heart is heavy with sorrow for the losses being sustained by all peoples who are innocent in this "dispute!" The children in their nurseries, their kindergartens, their playgrounds; the young mothers, the scholars, the postal workers, the fire fighters, the farmers, the delivery people, the doctors, the hairdressers and EVERYONE else, from BOTH sides whose goal in life is to live it in the here and now, not merely preparing for some ineffable future world that exists in varying belief systems, not necessarily in objective reality!

The reality that I see, however, is that if you don't want to get burned, don't play with fire.

The Israelis carved out a nation from malaria-ridden swamps, from drifting sands and from desolation. The then local Arab population was invited to work WITH the new nation to help it grow, blending the strength of the two peoples for the benefit of both. There was no demand for them to leave the land. There was no requirement for them to convert to Judaism. The Jews believed that people of good will could live together in peace. Repeatedly, the non-Jewish native population has tried, however, through deceit, broken promises, violence and terror to return the Land of Israel to the desolation it entertained before the first aliyah (return) of European Jewry to this Holy land.

Nay, I say. Nay!

The children of Israel learn songs praising peace as they huddle in their air-raid shelters at their schools. These same children learn how to recognize blasting caps and unattended packages, and to report them to the nearest adult. What are their options>? A life of terror or watching their parents die defending this little piece of land?

There should be other options. The main option should be that Arab and Jewish children should be able to compete on the soccer field, not on the battlefield. They should challenge each other in academic disciplines, not academic perversions, and they should be able to enjoy a sunset around the same campfire, singing the same songs of peace, having valuable friends from the other groups, for both groups are, after all, cousins of blood. What a travesty. What a shame.

What a loss that so many years and tears and people have passed by without the blossom of peace being seen in the land. What a shame that our acknowledged monotheistic creator seems to be asleep to the plight of His children, allowing war, misery, drought and hunger to discomfort His children. What a crime against Nature itself that we, the only thinking, compassionate, communicative species on this planet, all inter-related through the identical mitochondria which we all share, have not yet recognized our common bonds of humanity and allowed love for each other to flow from our wounds.

Let the older warlords die off -- and the younger, idealist population meet up with peace and rid each of their nations of their armaments of war... but somehow, I do not think I will live to see it! "Oh, what fools these mortals be!"

I kinda like the words of Tiny Tim in the story, The Christmas Carol: G-d bless us every one! to which I add: "And please do it now!"

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