Has Syria used gas against civilians? Whether true or not, let’s remember that the U.S. supported the development of chemical weapons by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, its then ally; weapons used against Iran with devastating effect. Indeed, foreign and local interests, competing for power and resources (oil), have produced turmoil in the Middle East since
WWI, with scant regard for the people that have lived there for centuries. Control of Palestine was part of the project.
The current Palestinian Friday Marches of Return are a new phase in the reaction by a people to their eviction from their homes to satisfy the current state of Israel’s plan to have all of Palestine for itself.
Related story:
Deadly clashes in Gaza mark start of Palestinian campaign
Ancient Israel shared the territory with other peoples, sometimes under greater outside powers: Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Egypt, Rome and the Ottomans. Is a peaceful resolution possible in Palestine/Israel? If so, it would surely make a difference there as well as elsewhere in the region. What would that take?
As a child, the Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek and family were ejected from their home town in Galilee. As an adult and Palestinian citizen of Israel, he served the Anglican Church, retiring as Canon of St. George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem, where he co-founded the Sabeel Centre. Sabeel means “The
Way” in Arabic; in this context: The Way to Peace through Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation.
On Friday, April 27, likely the day of another March of Return in Gaza, Dr. Ateek will address this issue at 7 p.m. in Queen’s College, on the MUN Campus, a talk with free admission, hosted by Queen’s College and MUN Department of Philosophy, as part of a national tour sponsored by the Canadian Friends of Sabeel.
For pace to be achieved, truth, not least in the media, must clearly come first. Palestinians certainly deserve true justice and the world should ensure it.
Reconciliation is, obviously, a long shot at present, but cannot happen without truth and justice.
Would it not be worth genuinely aiming to reach that goal, rather than continue on the present path? Is there any other way to real peace?
Patricia Mercer, Elke and John Molgaard
St. John’s
