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Editorial

War is not a game with rules

For those not directly involved in the bloodshed of war it is easy to stand back as an observer and condemn the results of such conflict. Sport is not war but it is a form of civilized competitive battle. We call it a game to battle over a puck, or ball. But it is a battle to win. It is a conflict between two sides which we call a friendly competition. Even during such friendly competitions, feeling and emotions take over and violence often breaks out between the competitors. And as all players in a football match or base ball game will tell us, in the heat of the competition one responds the best they can and according to their training and instincts.

So it should not be hard to imagine how the conflict of war which involves battle and killing can easily discard any sense of being civilized and carried on as a game. War is not a game that civilized but armed opponents can "play". War is a life and death situation from the moment it begins. Comrades fall and bleed, scream and die, and as this happens the combatants are concerned only with the battle and it's outcome. It is hypocrisy to impose "rules" of war. In any critical situation where any moment can bring death, it is unreasonable to assume that any of the combatants will be referring to a book of "rules". The winner in most such conflicts is the team that breaks the rules and plays to win. This is war not sport. This is hell not civilization. This is anything goes in the heat of battle not "rules" of the game.

It is unfortunate that this is the case and is not to be justified but is the reality of war. During WW II the allies bombed communities that had no military significance. It was an act of punishment to demoralize the enemy. But in this Jenin conflict the enemy of Israel chose to hide with and behind the innocent and where the innocent live. This is far different than genocide. Some of those bombings in WW II would qualify as genocide. There were acts of mass murder directed directly at civilians and civilian communities and these hideous deeds were done with impunity. This situation at Jenin only underlines the horrors of battle when done in the midst of civilians and their communities. Who is to blame for where the battle takes place. The combatants that chose that place for battle, that is who is to blame. It then becomes a matter of military judgement to either allow the enemy to escape in this context or pursue and destroy them.

During war it is rare to see, let alone expect, that the triumphant side would feel remorse and kindness towards the enemy with whom they did battle and spill blood. What happens instead, just like sport, the winning team rejoices over their victory. But this is not sport, it is war, it is fought to win at all costs. What lingers is a peace or great relief that one has survived, a joy or thankfulness that the battle is over, and a wounded and suppressed conscience full of pain from all the brutality and killing, and for many a hate of the enemy that took lives and shed blood even though they did not win. And it seems that this hate, bred in the violence of conflict, most often results in a lack of caring for the enemy, their race, their religion, their land , or anyone associated or sympathetic with the enemy. We have seen it occur during two world wars and we will undoubtedly see it again and again until Satan is cast into the lake of fire and can no longer lead men to their destruction.

We ought to know better than to stand back and condemn such attitudes that rise out of the stink of war. If we hate war so much why don't we put an end to it rather than put on clean clothes and after a good meal walk into this hell and pronounce our condemnation of those that won the battle. They carry the hell of that battle with them, for some perhaps, through all eternity. God forgive those that murder and kill, and God forgive those that put on their nice clothes and walk into the aftermath of such killing and condemn it as if they have never done such themselves. According to my understanding of how Jesus would react to such a situation it would like this. If we do nothing, we contribute to the situation just as if we committed the crime. Yapping about the crime and feeling horror about the crime is not doing something. Doing something is changing the world so that such crimes such as war, terrorism, murder, genocide, and brutality of any kind do not and cannot ever happen again.

And just how will we go about making that happen? What is our strategy for ending the reign of hatred that rules the mind of mankind? We certainly won't accomplish this by criticizing those that make war on terrorists We certainly won't do it by condoning war or terrorism. It won't happen with talk it will only happen with action. It will only happen when we all without exception lay down our weapons and cast out our hate and start to care for one another. We cannot even consistently do that in our sports games how then will be be able to do that when blood is shed and lives are lost. We are a pathetic breed full of hypocrisy and notions but have no will to live in peace with one another. We find all kinds of energy for dispute, and conflict but very little energy to care for one another.

The time is right for a new comprehensive international peace initiative for the middle east region led by the USA. This Palestinian conflict with Israel is a complex international problem both politically and morally. There can no longer be conflicting directions and signals. This situation with Mr. Arafat is potentially dangerous to the entire world order.

A well thought out strategy must be developed by the USA in conjunction with all parties involved. This does not include any terrorist leadership or agencies or nations that host terrorists, finance, and support terrorists. Therefore, the international notion of a terrorist must be firmly established before a strategy for the middle east can be developed.

This strategy must be developed to satisfy Israel's security concerns as well as some kind of arrangement that will establish the Palestinian peoples so they can live in peace and prosperity and not be a threat to Israel.

This requirement therefore excludes the existence of any kind of terrorist leadership and mentality. It also means that whatever kind of political system is established for the Palestinians they will never be allowed to have a military. This has to be a UN enforceable resolution with an implementation plan for enforcement that can be activated within days.

With this concession comes an obligation on the part of Israel to form some kind of economic union with the Palestinians. The two populations cannot politically unite due to their religious differences affecting their political constructs. But Israel should be responsible for managing within this economic union a promotion of a uniform standard of living based on a sliding scale which slowly moves the Palestinian self governing province from it's current poverty level to that equal of Israel at some time in the future and according to various prosperity indexes and as monitored by the United Nations. This economic union should be recognized by the EU and the US as well as the UN as a divergent political entity based on prosperity sharing and the security of Israel as a Jewish nation in a Moslem region of the world. In other words I am advocating a "caring" and "sharing" relationship between these two populations while allowing both their religious and political systems but bound together in an economic unity and committed to each others security backed by the military power of the Israel nation as well as the UN, USA, and EU.


This new strategy must be developed that encompasses all the issues and arrives at a "caring" and "sharing" economic unity with guarantees Israel's security and integrity as a Jewish nation.

There is no value in relying upon past agreements, undertakings and understandings associated with this situation. As the situation exists there is before us a comprehensive historic struggle between Israel and it's surrounding peoples with the Palestinian populace caught in between and forced to take sides by Mr. Arafat. Mr. Arafat has to go!

Whatever resolution is developed must be supportable and enforceable. There is no going back to old settlements. We must move forward and deal with the issues as they are and not force them into old worn out moulds. With the establishment of such a resolution a model of union will have been developed which can then be applied to all such conflicts world wide.

This is what I mean by taking effective action as opposed to standing in judgement, taking sides, and basically yapping and complaining about a world order that has no will for peace.



Agreements and resolutions affecting Israel and the Palestinians.

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Map of modern Israel