A Tale of Two Cities

In the heart of the Middle East lies a country with two very different identities, a country split in two, both literally and theoretically. The rift within the borders of this beautiful and historical territory is so great that even when referenced, one may either call it Israel or Palestine, depending on which side of the split your on. Historically speaking, Jerusalem houses the history of the three major religions of the world; namely Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In this city, you will find pilgrims of the Christian faith looking to find a cure for ailments in the springs, Muslims hoping to fulfill a duty done by the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) by praying in the Masjid Al Aqsa and the Jews refer to Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel as King David established it in 1000BCE. They also believe that King Solomon commissioned the building of The First Temple in the city. So as anyone can see, Jerusalem housed a great conundrum in the past and still well into the twenty first century.

In recent news, President Obama declared that he would visit Israel in hopes that he may find a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Palestinian Question and the Israeli Occupation problem. The name of the issue depends on which political faction you wish to associate with. President Obama was criticized for having given a speech in Cairo during his first term and not visiting Israeli/Palestine while he was in the area and so now he is attempting to rekindle ties he does not wish to sever and most probably apologize for such a disastrous oversight on his part.

After following the conflict closely and reading a multitude of articles on it, this recent one struck me a great deal. Posted today on the BBC website, a journalist interviewed both Palestinians and Israelis to get some insight on how they felt about the upcoming presidential song and dance. The difference in opinion only causes one to feel that the peace agreements are further than ever but what is truly ironic is the fact that both sides are preaching to the same choir. Israelis and Palestinians both feel that the US is favouring one side over the other and is not giving enough support to their respective group. That also causes their opinion on the American president to be biased, as it is based on whether he supports their side against the other or vice versa.

In the end, peace would be very possible for this region if only people were to stop and listen to one another. One cannot imagine that in this day and age, we have technologies that help us go to the moon and back but are ultimately incapable of exercising the simple act of listening to one another and working together. We have major organizations such as the UN at our disposal that will set the stage for talks and ensure that the mediation process goes smoothly but instead choose to attack one another and cause meaningless casualties on the population thus breeding feelings of anger, hate, animosity and hopelessness all of which create a need for revenge on either side. When these are the common factors among people in a region, peace will never be achieved.

Link to BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21831396

The Boy who Cried Wolf

With the growing alliances that are being created and destroyed and recreated among nation states, it is no surprise that their leaders are always very much so concerned with their sovereignty and their security. Every politician discusses security, people want to feel safe in their home towns and so it is up to our presidents and prime ministers to ensure that safety for us. 

What happens though when that assurance of security impedes on other people's safety and freedoms? What happens when the leaders we have elected will go to any and every length, including putting other people's lives in danger, in order to ensure that our children can walk home safely from school? Why is it that suddenly, in 2013, one person's life is more important than the other on the basis of race and religion? 

Everyone has been watching closely as the syrian people have been trying to maintain their demands to overthrow Al-Assad, they protests took place shortly after Egypt succeeded in their uprising. Sadly, the syrian uprising has turned into a bloodbath and now many fear that the end will be a gruesome tale of lost lives. One country though, felt the need to come up with a theory of it's own as it has many times before, Israel is concerned with their security and so are taking preemptive steps in order to maintain their security. 

Excuse you? 

What do these preemptive measures entail exactly one might ask, well put in layman's terms, we're going to bomb them as a show of force, build the wall ten miles into their territory and show them who's boss! This is starting to sound more and more like a hostile player at the Risk board game than real life to me. Thus, I am reminded of the old tale that our parents used to tell us about the boy who cried wolf when no wolf was around and the day there was a wolf, no one believed him. The IDF should really start to think before they act.

The international community is now faced with a predicament; Israel is trying to secure it's citizens safety by bombing Syria in an effort to ensure that Syria will reconsider if it was planning on attacking Israel because they seem to think that civil war isn't enough of a concern right now. How is this even legal? How can an international body such as the United Nations that is a cornerstone for peace processes across the world, sit back and watch as innocent lives are being trafficked practically for the sake of safety and security? Or is anything that Israel does justified by the fact that it's the black sheep of the Middle East; the same old excuse that the arabs don't like us so we had to hit before they could think of hitting us first.

I wonder if one day they will cry wolf and no one will respond.  

Pharoah's Rule

As the old adage goes, history always has a way of repeating itself and this phenomenon cannot be more clearly seen than with what is taking place in Egypt now. If one is to look at the history of the country, egyptians went from being ruled by four presidents in thirty years to  a series of vice presidents, members of parliament and two presidents in a few months. Be that as it may, the fact that egyptians managed to overthrow a dictatorship that was going to lead them to their demise is an extraordinary feat; right now though it's time to be less emotional and more practical. 

Two years after the egyptian revolution successfully took place, the country has yet to improve in any way. After holding the first ever democratic elections which included the participation of expat egyptians as well as every single egyptian locally, the government has yet to act in the way in which a democratically elected government should act. I wouldn't dare say that democracy is perfect and creates complete utopia but if a dictatorship hasn't been working for the last three decades, then I think it's time to give something different a chance. 

As I sit in my living room in Montreal, I watch as flames blaze over the most beautiful country in the world. Thousands of years of civilization will be destroyed because of the lack of tact on behalf of our current president. The people of Egypt have spoken and what they want is simple and very achievable, they want the basics. They long for the same rights that we all exercise in our daily lives and the facilities which we take for granted every second of the day.

It really isn't rocket science, really. 

Please Mr. President, instead of blocking your ears like a child in the midst of a tantrum, open your mind, your eyes, your ears and most importantly your heart to the people which you preside over. Listen and feel their concerns, you were once one of us, standing in endless lines in order to get your national identification card. You were stuck in traffic among the masses trying to understand why the road system is such a disaster. You fear for your family's health when they eat food from local crops just as any father would for his family.

You are one of us, don't forget your roots, go back to them and listen to them. 

Sincerely,

A disheartened egyptian.