The Lord of the Rings

 
I am as you might imagine in a state of terrible shock and anguish for my family was caught in the horrors of the Palestinian tragedy and have born witness to its beginnings. In simple words I know the history which turned Palestine into Israel and the Palestinians into a dispossessed disinherited nation of beggars who cannot survive without the charity of the UN and that of their, mostly indifferent, brethren the Arabs, the history which Israel and the free civilized world have chosen to forget and wipe out from the memory of humanity. Therefore what we have now is, as it is overwhelmingly portrayed, a conflict between a sovereign nation, a respectable member of the UN and a bunch of terrorist starving beggars the world would do well by getting rid of them and much better by forgetting all about them. Israel is the brave civilized agent of the free civilized world and is on the move to lighten the burden of the world. If we ask ourselves now what is the cause of the present war in Gaza which has been cited and reiterated again and again among the approvals of the leaders of the unlighted leaders of humanity's march towards new frontiers of democracy, morality and freedom. The answer is that Israel's peace and tranquility is disturbed by the beggars' attempts to save themselves and their children from hunger, disease and degradation. They should remain where they are and keep quiet.  They should accept the huge concentration camp allotted for them, their last refuge after so many flights and displacements and thank the masters for squeezing them impossibly in the most densely populated area in the world, prey to ignorance, frustration, fanaticism and despair, scorned disgraced and despised by the official world and by the rulers of their loving kith and kin, the Arab states.  They are dying now in their hundreds and their children are screaming in agony but Mubarak and many other leaders of the Arab world hesitate, cogitate and waver, standing at odds with their people.  The protests and the anguish of the great generous nation of Egypt go unheeded, for Mubarak must act the politician, anxious not to dismay Israel and the United States, at pains to look after their interests. The masters of the world do not know what they are doing for they have awakened Islam, what kind of Islam I do not know. In the absence of any dignified and humane response by the Arab leaders, The Muslims of the world seem to have adopted the Palestinian cause, especially Turkey. I pray that enlightened Islam will win the day.

 I do not know what is going to happen but I am bearing witness, like many others like me, . Last night as we were all waiting for Israel's ground forces to attack. I saw it all in my mind's eye.. The scene was set amidst the wailing of children and frightened mothers, after days of heavy savage bombardment and after months of softening the people by starvation, disease and humiliation . I do not know why I kept thinking of Shakespeare. Perhaps because of the immensity of the unfolding tragedy.  I saw the mighty invincible Israel with its mighty war machines, its weapons of mass destruction, its state of the arts artillery and tanks spearheaded by its lethal intensive bombardment, I saw it, with the blessings of the US, advance towards the tragic city of paupers and beggars ready for the kill and annihilation. On the other side stood Frodo, hungry, anguished, dirty, cold and tired, with Sam encouraging him and telling him to be consoled for heroic stories would be written about them and it would be said of them that they had stood against the powers of darkness, against the Lord of the Rings, against Mordor and its burning inferno. I can only think in images, bits of literature, poetry, myth and philosophy. I have born witness.

Sunday January 4 2009