currently

  I've been doing some reading lately and have learned more about the middle east than I really care to know. This is, of course, due to current events. It has come true those words my history teacher used to say, world events are current events. That was back when little was heard about things outside of my world, New York City and Hollywood were the big topics most of the time. Foreign wars and conflicts were not talked about that much. We were taught who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. That was about it really, the causes, what led up to that wasn't discussed that much. The conflict that occurred in Vietnam changed that a great deal and I became more aware, especially so as I was at the age of the draft. My response was to simply join the Navy before I could be drafted, a preemptive move you might say. But that wasn't the real reason for joining the Navy, it was just a matter of practicality. The truth is I flipped a coin. One friend was joining the army and one the navy. I wanted to be with one of them, so I flipped a coin to decide. No one gets their feelings hurt. Yes, it was that simple. As far as Vietnam went, I was prepared to do my duty. I had no idea why we were there beyond the fact we, the United States, had made a promise, signed a document, pledging our support. That was enough for me, politics be damned. 

  Now this conflict between Israel and Palestine, to my surprise, isn't nearly as old as I had thought. The issue really began in 1946 as a result of the UN. It was a resolution of the United Nations that the land be divided creating Israel and Palestine. From my reading it turns out that it isn't really a religious war, although that certainly plays into a great deal of the situation, but a dispute over territory. The city of Jerusalem being the crown jewel in this package. As we all know Jerusalem is the center of all three major religions in the world today. So, in essence, this fight, this conflict is more like a family dispute about who gets the ancestral home. There are Muslims, Jews and Christians all making their claims. All these claims are based in historical events, traditions and cultural beliefs. It isn't about religious beliefs, all those groups have co-existed in peace with each other over centuries. The big problem is about what is home. 

  This terror group that calls itself Hamas isn't really Palestine. It's true that Hamas controls the Gaza strip with brutal force and imposes its' rule upon the occupants of that area. The how and why of the state of Palestine allowing this, indeed providing support for that, I haven't discovered yet. Many of the inhabitants do not support Hamas. The intensity, the differences are far greater, along with the consequences, but similar to the Republicans and Democrats fighting for control here in America. It is the imposition of an ideology upon the population. Basically, the house divided problem.

And that is pretty much my rudimentary understanding of the situation. Whatever the final solution may be the destruction of Hamas must come first and foremost. Hamas is not fighting for a better world, to secure anything for its' people, Hamas is simply a terror group bent on power and control. It is not some new shining example of government. No, it is quite the opposite. As is the case in every conflict the innocent will suffer the most. And yes, there are innocents on both sides of every conflict. 

  Can the differences ever be settled? That territory has been in dispute since Biblical times. That's what the fight has always been about. Religious belief is the motivation, the excuse, the reason for that. Jerusalem has been taken by conquest between twenty and forty-four times in history. I'd say the peaceful transfer of control is highly unlikely. Could Jerusalem ever become an independent state, similar to Vatican city? Perhaps, but just who would be in control, the authority. Who is going to be the head of the house? That's the real dispute. 

  It turns out that world events are current events. That's true even when what is current has been ongoing for centuries. Currently a terrorist organization is attempting to wrest control. This must not be allowed to happen. Hamas must be destroyed.