# 331 – Four Colours

Four Colours

November 4, 2018

Brasil’s President-elect intends to follow Trump’s lead and move their embassy from Tel Aviv (great city) to Jerusalem (official capital since birth of the country). Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian official (since birth of the country) says that ’such provocative and illegal steps…will only destabilise security and stability in the region’.

Hello-o…Dear Mrs. Ashrawi: security has not been stable in this region for hundreds of years. My cousin and his wife have been visiting Israel already for a week, and have actually discovered a very stable part of the region: Israel.

Finally locating the country’s capital in its rightful place will, I assure you, result in an increase of stability in the region.

After so many years of trying, how can I convince you that Israel is ‘not as bad as they say’ and that Israeli politics may leave something to desire (the subject is, after all, politics), but we are not as bad as much of the World thinks.

This photo perhaps sums it up….

We have guests this week from UK. We are trying to show them Israel in 9 days – mixed with leisure time on the beach. (The weather has been PERFECT!). This photo was take from the border with Lebanon. 4 basic colours:

Deep blue – the sky

Light blue – the horizon (not pollution)

Brown – Lebanon

Green – Israel

This is NOT criticism – nor arrogance. This is simple fact. As in all parts of society, there are many cultures. Even when there is peace and prosperity, it takes generations for the cultures to mix, blend and assimilate. And even then, the people will go home to their traditional customs and languages.

In the Middle East, an area of tribal mentality, cohabitation and co-operation between the communities (countries and villages alike) are in a mess, to say the least. And of course, I have not yet mentioned the relationship between Israel and its neighbours.

Just about every village/country in the Middle East is still separated from its neighbour by a gap filled with mistrust, hate and…a culture gap. Most of the region is Muslim, yet they despise each other. Then there are the special sects, such as Kurds and Druse, and they are caught in that trap. Then there are the Christians and the Jews…..It’s a horrible mess.

And then comes along the nice person from a nice non-Middle-Eastern civilised country – which hasn’t had a war for 70 years (well, actually, Yugoslavia, Ireland, Ukraine etc. etc. kills that theory) and says: “You’re all human beings; you all want peace. Why can’t you just talk to each?”.

Even within Israel, where there is relative peace and prosperity, the Arab towns have yet to adopt the culture of planting trees and flowers.

[Note: Israel plants over a million trees per year. We even have a special holiday -Tu Bishvat – when much of the country takes the day off and plants trees. When someone dies, it is tradition to ‘plant a tree’ in their memory. And what happens? Arson from the Arabs. The latest weapon used by Gaza is a constant barrage of balls, each carrying Molotov cocktails. Half of the cultivated land around Gaza has been burnt.]

I am not saying that a tree will bring peace, but I AM saying that a ‘blending’ of the cultures/colours, when the green and brown start to overlap, that’s when peace talks  have a chance.

I could ramble on and on – and in further letters, I shall. But that’s enough for now.

Whom to directly blame for Israel’s problems with Lebanon will just have to wait for a later letter.

Stephen