Skepticism over settlement of Israel-Palestine conflicts

Lilian Budianto ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 05/19/2008 11:50 AM  |  World

As conflicts between Palestine and Israel have now dragged-on into a sixth decade, people have become skeptical whether the fate of the two Middle Eastern countries would ever be settled.

"There is so much news about their conflicts that I usually skip reading it," said Adel, a university student majoring in international relations.

"I don't think they've made any progress. They just repeat the same violence and peace-settlement cycle. Once they reach an agreement, they soon violate it -- over and over again."

Since Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Sinai Peninsula, in 1967, the two foes have been engaged in an ongoing battle over the ancient holy land of Jerusalem.

Earlier this month, a Palestinian mother of three was killed in front of her children during an incursion by members of the Israeli military, who raided civilian homes in New Abasan.

And just few months back, Israel's military unleashed massive attacks on Gaza, which left hundreds of Palestinians (mostly unarmed civilians) dead and hundreds injured. The Associated Press reported that the attacks were prompted by Palestinian militant groups escalating their rocket attacks on Israel.

The brutality of the Palestinian militants and Israeli troops and the ordeals of residents -- forced to live with the sound of gunfire at their doorstep -- have appeared almost daily in news reports all over the world.

Indonesia, home to world's largest Muslim population, is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and has condemned the Jewish attacks on innocent civilians. Every time Israel assaults the Palestinians, Indonesia has been ready to defend the latter with a call to stop the violence.

At some point, however, people become indifferent to news on the conflicts; the death toll (no matter how high) becomes just a number which has lost all of its meaning.

"I don't know how to relate to their incessant miseries. I sometimes think their conflicts are like our poverty, which we must deal with everywhere here in Indonesia -- without any idea when it will end," said Lidia, a social worker with a local NGO in Yogyakarta.

Back in the Middle East, people are apparently yet to quit hoping and still keep searching for the rare moments when peace can emerge although the real settlement may seem still far away.

Most Palestinian families still retain keys to the homes they fled from decades ago after the occupation by Israel. They continue to tell their children and grandchildren that one day they will return to their homes, most of which in fact do not exist any more.

"I don't think the conflicts will be resolved soon, no matter how active our government or the international community is through their diplomatic visits," said Puji, a history teacher of a private school in West Jakarta.

Growing up reading holy texts, Puji returns to the Bible in an effort to understand the absurd lives of the innocent people of Israel, who were harassed under the Nazi rule and are now trapped in their own country.

Puji believed Israel was doomed to a never-ending cycle of conflicts with its neighbors.

"You see, Israel is just a small country surrounded by many bigger enemies -- but they can never be defeated. They have much to say that is true; that they were the chosen nation and have been very much blessed by God, more than any other nation in this world. But, at the same time, its people will never be able to live in peace. They are condemned due to their unfaithful manner to their God. You see, it was once the holocaust and now it's the Israel-Palestine conflict"

Nais, a member of Voice of Palestine, a community pushing for Palestine freedom, said religion should never become a reason for war.

"It is grossly manipulated for both political and economic reasons. If Israel really believes in and love God, they would not take something which is not theirs and force people to be displaced.

"I think the occupation is another story, but it now has a religious flavor which dramatizes it for their own justification. Palestine is occupied by another country and they want to defend themselves."

So far, there is no light at the end of the tunnel, Puji said.

"It is an absurd war. If a child was born some 60 years ago there in the Middle East, and has never left their homeland, it means they have no idea what peace is like," she said.

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