Enough! Already! (... and mythic diversions)

[tcpip]

The Israeli invasion of Gaza continues, with the number of civilian deaths rising dramatically. Claims that Israel has been using cluster bombs and white phosphorus. Two UN schools are bombed killing forty, just after UN ambulances were hit killing paramedics. The definition of a 'terrorist' and a 'valid target'seems to get a bit rubbery according to the IDF. In contrast, Australian Jews denounce the invasion. A former Israeli soldier, and now Oxford professor, has come to some hard conclusions as a result of the invasion. Avaaz (a remarkably effective group) has a cease-fire petition, which I urge all to sign and pass on. Also, go vote for Prof. Juan Cole's 'blog Informed Comment as Best Middle East or Africa 'Blog.

I sometimes find myself drawn into this discussion and over the years have found myself increasingly in support of the "one (democratic, secular) state solution". The partition of Palestine was perhaps the worst early decision made by the United Nations and was not supported by any neighbouring state or by the former colonial power. Under such circumstances it is hardly surprising that there have been seemingly endless violence and wars as a consequence. Resolving the issue would involve ending the pseudo-soveriegnity (as Hannah Arendt put it) of a Jewish state in favour of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Apart from applying laws equally over what it is currently Israel and the occupied territories, it would involvd ending existing discriminatory institutions and laws (e.g., Knesset Election Law, the control of the Israel Land Administration by the Jewish National Fund, the Law of Return, Nationality Law etc) would have to be abolished in favour of secular alternatives. Of course, having such considered opinions does attract detractors; dear readers, I present you my own troll from Tel Aviv.

Have engaged in a few mythic diversions of late. Last Sunday's RuneQuest Prax game included defeating the witch-queen of disease and visiting a moment of the non-sequential reality that is the Godtime. darknova666's character jumped between misfortune and elation on several occassions in the scenario. On a further Gloranthan theme I've introduced The Crimson Bat in my HeroQuest pbem. Have also extracted and modified the review of Pathfinder from the latest issue of RPG Review (issue #3 already has three articles, awesome!) to submit to RPG.net. On an oddly related topic, on Sunday week I'm presenting on "A Unitarian-Univeralist View of the Economic Crisis" - how's that related? Afterwards we're playing Credo: The Game of Duelling Dogmas, which is attracting some interest from members of the congregation.

Comments

[zey.livejournal.com]

Me, I think there's only one realistic solution to the Israel/Palestine issue: have Europe, Australasia and the Americas offer sole citizenship on condition that the holder-to-be was a citizen of Israel or the Palestine Territories on Jan 1 2009. Allow all the people who just want to live their lives in peace to get out of there and leave the region to the religious nutters to kill each other over -- alone, without any innocents present to be hit by either side.

What horrifies me about the current conflict is all the innocents being killed. Subhuman religious loonies: they can kill each other as much as they like. In fact, dare I say, the more the merrier.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

The European Union has Muslims aplenty, and I dare say we are in the main richer for it. But we are unlikely to be as enlightened as to allow substantially more to come in from Palestine, in large part because they would likely not be particularly wealthy Muslims, and in some part because some of us seem to believe they'd be heading directly and intently towards the Gates of Vienna, as it were. And they would not come, at any rate.

As for the Israeli, there's an anecdote I saw Amos Oz once telling about his childhood that may shed some light into the problem. His parents had been Europeans, of the wealthy, cosmopolitan, polyglot Ashkenazi type not uncommon in the East before the war, and to the end of their days they could not come to entirely accept Jerusalem. They listened to Mozart, they read Schiller, that sort of thing. Jerusalem was drab, it was not civilisation they could feel was their own. They taught Mr Oz many languages, but they avoided the so-called great European ones they themselves knew so well and used so fluently. This was not because they had become nationalists, but because they had not become so. They dreaded that Mr Oz would discover Europe, and fall in love with Europe, and go to Europe, and that Europe would do its thing and kill him.