I sit here in my beautiful garden the sun is shining down and life feels good.
But reading and hearing the news that is unfolding in the Middle East where yet again the conflict that simmers quietly all the time as erupted again to be in the national news. This commenced after the death of 3 young Israeli boys tragically kidnapped and murdered supposedly by the Palestinian group Hamas.
The tragedy of such loss cannot be underplayed, but now we see the increasing tragedy is that of increased retaliation by Israel.
So the question is How many dead Palestinians will make up for the loss of 3 teenagers?
I don't fully understand the complexities of the Middle East ( brief history here) to hopefully help. I have just had a discussion on social media with a friend from my youth who is staunchly pro-Israel and then continued on with some of his friends who live there.
They speak of the fear of listening to the incoming rockets and fleeing into bomb shelters, I can't even imagine this sat where I am today the only sound is that of the wind in the trees and the occasionally car passing by.
They speak with a bias we all have when we defend our own truth, or tell our own story. They are living it what do I know ?
But this war this conflict started many years ago with 2 peoples claiming ownership of a piece of land not much bigger than the country of Wales here in UK. ( to note here most living there were Palestinians the land was known as Palestine) there was also some Jews still living in the land.
It is extremely hard to unravel the truth of this the propaganda machine is high on both sides, just google the conflict.
What I do know for sure is that if you check this map, Palestine only a few decades ago was the nation who held most of the territory although like all colonialism was ruled by Great Britain who in 1948 in discussion with other nations, gave the territory to the decimated and cruelly treated Jewish people, many who were recovering from their time under Nazi rule in concentration camps.
This people group so sorely treated by many nations before, during and after World War Two had seen great atrocities and were recognised as a nation for the first time in many years in fact 100's of years.
And so the conflict began and we now sit here in the West in 2014 and our news tells us that the Israeli army have now gone in to Gaza a strip of land 139 miles wide to subdue the firing of rockets into Israel, which I must stress again I do not condone.
Here though is what I do know
As it stands 159 Palestinians are dead 23 children possibly more in this number.
Over 1000 casualties
Israel 3 (the teenagers that inflamed the latest conflict) and 0 casualties
So I ask again how many Palestinians dead will be enough pay back for the murdered 3 Israeli teenagers?
So I sit here today pro- peace this situation needs to be resolved but tanks and planes and rockets only decimate and destroy.
As this conflict reaches it 60th decade here is a prayer I found today on the internet.
God of all the centuries
We long to see an end to the lines that divide:
The lines that scar families,
The line that deface religions,
The lines that embattle nations.
May you, O God,
Who crossed the line between heaven and earth,
Work a miracle in the hearts of humans and in the destinies of our countries enduring war.
Amen
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