# 78 – Naïvety

June 4, 2007

Subjectivity, Stupidity, Ignorance…I could go on.

I wrote recently about Gaza, and within minutes, the problems at the Nahr-al-Bared erupted. And now, while I am writing, at another camp in the south of Lebanon, near Sidon.

OK, let’s get the metaphors out of the way – no one’s perfect, 2 wrongs don’t make a right and all that. But just who are these Palestinians in Lebanon? Cousins of those who were massacred in Shatilla and Sabra all those years ago. What on Earth are they still doing in camps after all these years. Just as in Syria and in Egypt, the Palestinians in Lebanon have same rights as the Jews…..in Nazi Germany in the 30s. No rights.

They have no passports, no land-ownership rights, no rights to professional jobs. They are stuck in the camps, every day fermenting the hope to get back to their homes in what is today’s Israel. There is even an agreement for the Lebanese army not to enter the camps. What does that mean?

What a perfect setting for Islamic extremists to come in and start promising ‘anything’ in order to win at least some of the hearts of the desperate souls in those camps.

Yes, it is similar to the situation in the Occupied Territories, except one cannot claim that the Palestinians have been at war with the Lebanese, that they wish for the annihilation of the country. They have not been bombing Lebanon every day, sending suicide bombers into Beirut and Tripoli.

Only Jordan and Israel in this area give rights to the Palestinians. In Jordan, they make up perhaps 65% of the population (I have said before that this must be the only country in the World of which over half its population are ‘foreigners). In Israel, the approx. 400,000 that stayed after the ’48 Independence War have become about 1.2 million, over 20% of the population. They have Israeli passports, they vote (and not always for an Arab party – they currently have 8 Knesset members – could have more if they had a united vote – typical Israelis!).

Yes, if you ask me why we two peoples can’t live in peace with each other, just come to Israel. Consider the circumstances, and it is doubly surprising that the Israeli Arabs live in such relative peace with their Jewish (and Christian) neighbours. The Jewish wedding we attended 2 weeks ago was in Abu Ghosh, an Arab town near Jerusalem I have mentioned before.

Subjectivity? Listen to the 2 sides in today’s BBC Drama: “The Arab-Israeli Cookbook”. A sad reminder of how far apart we have become. It’s not the individuals; it’s that ‘thing’ watching over us that tells us a subjective story.

Stupidity? Sunni now fighting Sunni in Iraq.

Ignorance? Our Moslem taxi driver in London asked us why we don’t let Moslems into Israel.

All 3 of the above – The UK Academics who have voted to boycott Israeli academics – and Israeli goods. Subjective, ignorant and stupid. My words, in case someone wants to complain.

We need a God-like figure to shout “STOP!” Suspend time for a moment, re-write recent history and start again.

No, that’s Naïvety.

Stephen