A Vision

 

Blue ribbons as a reminder of the hostages

Spoiler alert 

In a departure from my usual Photo-blog format, this time I’m compelled to pen a post that is more ‘blog’ and less ‘Photo’. No worries if you prefer to skip this one and not consider my point of view, just read no further. I hope you’ll come back for the next posting.

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From the River to the Sea, Palestine Could be Free

When pro-Palestinian protesters gather and show their colors, you’ll always find me on the opposite side of the street with a Stand With Israel group.  

March for Israel - Washington DC November 14, 2023
more than a quarter million supporters came to DC that day

When the pro-Palestinians begin chanting ‘From the River to the Sea Palestine Will be Free’, surprisingly we do share common ground, albeit with one important stipulation - Hamas must first be defanged and its ideology expunged from the territory. Only then can two critical goals be achieved: 

• Opening a pathway for a responsible governing body to step in and join with Israeli counterparts in pursuit of the elusive Two State Solution.
• Restore a sense of security for Israelis to heal their psychological wounds after the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust. 

For context: since 2007 when Hamas staged a coup violently ousting the democratically elected governance of Gaza by the Palestinian Authority, it focused on its sole mission, the destruction of Israel. Such a modus operandi was incompatible with creation of a future Palestinian State peacefully coexisting alongside Israel. In the ensuing years Hamas continued doing what it does best: launching rockets indiscriminately into Israel and staging periodic cross border attacks and kidnappings. It did not work to establish institutions to administer the civil society under its control. Additionally, it siphoned funds the international community poured into Gaza intended for assembling infrastructure. It used those funds to build and fortify underground tunnels, literally creating a subterranean city. Despite whatever deprivations the Egyptian-Israeli blockade may have presented, Hamas managed to amass stockpiles of weapons of war and sufficient fuel and food to withstand a lengthy siege. That cache was withheld from Gazans as they struggled for supplies after Israel launched its post-October 7th counterattack.

Looking ahead: 

When all hostages Hamas grabbed during that barbaric October attack are returned to their families, the IDF must complete its mission to destroy  Hamas. 

Perhaps then will Palestinians, in conjunction with their brethren in neighboring Arab lands, be enabled to elect new leaders ‘of the people and for the people’ and adopt a new mission statement - building a state peacefully living alongside Israel. At that point, ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine could really be free’.

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