Wars and Boycotts: Do We Really Need Them?

11:30 am local time, 27 December 2008, the beginning of Israel's offensive against the Hamas in Gaza. Codenamed "Operation Cast Lead", it targets the members and infrastructure of Hamas, thus ending a 6-months truce between Israel and Hamas. Hamas accused Israel for not lifting the Gaza Strip blockade and their constant raids in Gaza, while Israel blamed Hamas for the increasing rocket and mortar attacks into its territories. 

After 15 days of raid (until January 10), the war claimed more than 800 lives with 3,700 injuries, mostly on the Palestinian side. Israel also blocked humanitarian aid into the Gaza territory although later allowed humanitarian cease-fire in between 1 to 4 pm in certain days. 

With humanitarian crisis looming in Gaza, the worst are yet to come and it leaves the civilian Palestinian, living in fear under gunfire, gun shells, mortars and bombs. Although the Israel primary objective is to target the Hamas militants, the civilians are unfortunately not spared as the collateral damages cause 25% of the casualties are from the civilians.

THE WAR IS NOT FORGED ON RELIGIOUS ISSUES?

Since Israel announced its independence following the Civil War with the Arabs that led to the termination of the British Mandate of Palestine on 14 May 1948, the conflicts have resulted a never-ending saga. Thousands of lives have perished while millions became refugees. 

Contrary to popular belief, the war is not forged due to religious issues and I wish to clarify that these are not really a continuation from the Crusader War or specifically war against Islam. I cannot help but to notice that people nowadays seems to use religion or cultural belief to justify their attack over the innocents one across their borders. 

No matter if it is the Arabic-style-suicide-bombers or an Israeli-air-raid-bombardment or even the guerrilla-styles-attack on Mumbai, there are nothing on these actions that can be justified other than the disruption of peace and harmony. There is no proper justification on why a war must happen - but let us put the blames on our greediness, hunger for land and money, dissatisfaction and selfishness when the most losses were actually the civilian to suffer.

I particularly think that most of the Malaysians will think that the conflicts between Israel and Palestine for years were due to the religious issues, which is quite untrue. I heard one said before that Israel was committing genocide against the Palestine as an effort to destroy Islam and ethnic cleansing. Partly yes and partly no. 

The act of Israel in which they attack Palestine and killing many innocent civilian is no doubt an act of genocide but concerning any efforts towards Islam-demolishing, ethnic cleansing or Islamophobia, they are not true. The reason is that the causes of the conflict are something that most of us are not aware of.

WHY GO TO SOME WAR?

There is no possible dateline on when the conflicts begin. 

Let us take the Bible first, from the exercpts of Genesis. Abraham's wife Sarah was barren but he bore a son, Ishmael with Hagar whom was Sarah's maid. Fourteen years later, Sarah became pregnant and bore a son, Isaac. Seeing this God promised to make a great nation of their people thus commanded Abraham to expel Hagar and Ishmael. Isaac's become the ancestor of the Jews, while Ishmael's the Arabs and Muslims.

Following years on invasion by the Roman Empire and Ottoman Turks Empire, the Jews fleed the land to other part of the world, especially Europe. By the end of 19th century, European Jews began arriving at the land of Palestine, seeking to establish a Jewish homeland with the tag "A people without a land for a land without people". The problem was while there were relatively small Jewish in the land and discovered that the land was occupied by Ishmael's descendants. Therefore both claimed sovereignity over the same piece of soil.

In 1947, British decided to withdrew from the land of Palestine which they took in war with the Ottoman and named in the British Mandate of Palestine. At that time the population was roughly 2/3 Arabs and 1/3 Jewish. United Nations proposed a partition plan of two states. Jewish were unhappy but accepted the proposal while the arabs rejected. 

A civil war broke and the Jewish won and called its independence in 1948 on 14 May 1948. Immediately, the Arab League nations sent troops to fight the Jewish which resulted in the victory of the Jewish with more expansion of land than originally allotted. The Jews celebrated but the Palestinians called it the "nakba". The Arabs fled their homes that caused the refugee issue that persists till today. The Jews also left their homes in Arab nations to settle in Israel.

In 1967 "Six-Day War", Israel conquered the Sinai Penisula, The Gaza strip, the West Bank, the eastern part of Jerusalem and Golan Heights. Gaza is deemed as an important bordering point between the Jews and Arabs which previously under Egypt's territories. 

20 years later, a Sunni Muslim organization called Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) was created. Hamas is a political party, a military component and provide social responsibilities in Gaza. Israel and the United States consider Hamas as a terrorist, taken into credit for suicide bombing and rocket attacks into southern Israel.

Israli blocked the relief supplies in measure to halt rocket attacks. The Palestinians link the tactic to the Holocaust, similar to Nazi siege of the Jewish in Warsaw. Hamas continued to fire rocket into Israel while Israel continued to raid the Gaza. A 6-months truce was offered by the Egypt in which both accepted back mid-2008. After the period over, the rocket attacks continued. Each say the other's actions caused the collapse of understanding.

Israel decided it no longer could tolerate and therefore 27 December 2008 attack on the Gaza strip occured till what we are 15 days later.

TRULY HUMANITARIAN OR MERELY MERITS?

While most of the students in my college are currently busy with the program called "Untukmu Palestine", I decided to write this note to wonder if this program is based on religious reason or humanitarian reason. 

I begin to wonder what benefits this program will directly affect the suffering Palestinian? I cannot help to wonder how and where will the money will be channeled after the end of the program. It is just merely a program ran to provide merits to the students or an effort to really help the sufferings in Palestine? (In my college, you need to be active and obtain enough merit in order to get priority to get hostel accommodation for the next academic year.)

WHY WAR WILL NEVER END?

Let's look at the six core of the conflict that caused instability in the Palestine land: 

(1) Jerusalem, an ancient holy city among the Christianity, Islam and Judaism, is divided and unresolved as both parties claim assertions over the city. 

(2) Palestinian refugees that amounted to 4 million who wished to return to their home where they lived before 1948 and 1967. 

(3) Israeli settlements which expanded into Palestinian territories, but 2005 Ariel Sharon's plan was enacted to vacate Israeli settlements in Gaza, therefore returning Gaza into the hands of Palestine. 

(4) Security issues pertaining to both parties. 

(5) International status due to seperate partition of their state. 

(6) Resources distribution especially water supply among the two states due to the availability of the water resources. 

Looking at the six core issues themselves, none states the issues revolving the religious rights and so on. The efforts to end all of these fightings are not by Holy War by the Arabs or air-raids by the Israel. Diplomacy and tolerancy are the answers. It is difficult to achieve but that is the only answer to end the issues. 

Because of the near impossible, the war will just never end and the problems will never resolved. I cannot help to wonder myself how all of these core problems can be solved just like that. It only works when both states united under one nation two states that are autonomous with sharing is the only possibility towards peace! I think my idea is too ambitious, ideal and too much resembling "You Don't Mess With The Zohan".

BOYCOTT OR NOT BOYCOTT?

Boycotting brand names like McDonald, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Manhattan Fish Market, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Microsoft and more to name of - does not it sounds hypocrite? It sounds hypocrite because all these while you spend money on them, consume their products and you end up boycotting something that are virtually part of your life. Ironic and hypocrite at the same time. There are few reasons why I think boycotting any US-made or Israel-associated products are not the answers.

(1) As mention earlier, you pay, you consume all these while and suddenly you decided to jump ship by boycotting.

(2) Why punish products that have been part of your life for years when it was the policy-makers or governments who were the one forging out and using people's money to go for some war? In recent survey, most of American and Israelites are not in favour for war. The outcome is obvious in the United States when Barack Obama won the presidential election, instead of John McCain whom will definitely following Bush's policy on wars. Going for a war requires billions of dollars been spent! Whose money are they using by the way? And how you will run your computer if you decides to boycott Microsoft as well.

(3) Boycotting products during the economy meltdown doesn't seems like a brilliant idea. In recent years many big companies offer jobs and opportunity of business to the locals and the same goes in Malaysia itself too. McDonalds offers thousands of jobs to school kids everytime holidays were around the corner. Boycotting is similar as making economy meltdown even worst indirectly. Well, this is what you get when you mix politics into daily life too much.

IN A NUTSHELL...

Before you go and blindly boycott or attend some street demonstration, just be wise and don't look on the history and current facts based on only one side. I will not joining any boycott and street protest because I think it will not bring any differences. But it doesn't mean I support Israel or against the suffering Palestinian. I choose to be neutral because I believe both conflicting parties should hold responsibles when war claimed the lives of civilians. Don't be blinded by the facts that going into war is something to be so proud about. Going into war put people's life at stacks.

MY MESSAGES...

To Israel: please stop all these non-sense raid when you say you are targetting the Hamas but it was the lifes of civilians which were perished.

To Palestine: I support you all the time because I believe in peace but I still think Hamas should hold responsibility for putting the life of civilians at stacks.

To my fellow friends at college: Read your facts right before making assumption. It is not that I don't support the program but I wonder how sincere the personels behind this program is...just ask yourself, you do this program to get merits or you really sympathy for them?