Israel's Own History as a Peace Plan
Patricia Shin-Ae Ko
April 25, 2007
Israel's own history provides instructions on how to traverse a path into an embrace with brothers rather than a standoff with enemies. It's simple: Give them all you've got and bow with your face to the ground. Jacob gave his herds, servants, wives, and children. On a national level, it would be the equivalent of putting the economy on the sacrificial altar and uprooting citizens from their homes.
Jacob's heart was such that he gave his life and everything he'd earned for the sake of reuniting with his brother. Israel's heart has been to take lives and keep everything they forcefully possessed for the sake of being separated from Arabs - the descendants of their ancestor's brother. For peace, Israel needs a change of heart: that is, to make peace more important than economic interests - including money, land and resources.
When in history, at any time, have economic interests not been a factor in war? The conflict in Iraq is unresolved because America took the economic control out of the hands of one group and gave it to another. The ones who had it before will always want it back. Israelis and Arabs both had possession of the contested land at different times; each side will always think it was theirs. But, a change of heart can modify the word "mine" to "ours".
Israel will ask, "Why should I?" as long as they believe in the dream - the deception - that military power will bring peace. Again, they have not learned from their own history. When Israel's ancestors amassed troops, God sent the majority home, keeping a number so small that they would be forced to admit their victory was not from their own power.
The answer to "Why should I?" is: "For the sake of world peace." The third history lesson for Israel is to remember that their people have a central role as representatives of humanity. Everyone descended from one original father; we are all brothers and sisters, but Israel is the "Issac", the "Jacob" and the "Joseph" among nations. The heart that Israel acts with will create the fate that humanity lives or dies with. Israel needs to stop negotiating over what they should keep and start discussing how much more they could give.
Jacob's heart was such that he gave his life and everything he'd earned for the sake of reuniting with his brother. Israel's heart has been to take lives and keep everything they forcefully possessed for the sake of being separated from Arabs - the descendants of their ancestor's brother. For peace, Israel needs a change of heart: that is, to make peace more important than economic interests - including money, land and resources.
When in history, at any time, have economic interests not been a factor in war? The conflict in Iraq is unresolved because America took the economic control out of the hands of one group and gave it to another. The ones who had it before will always want it back. Israelis and Arabs both had possession of the contested land at different times; each side will always think it was theirs. But, a change of heart can modify the word "mine" to "ours".
Israel will ask, "Why should I?" as long as they believe in the dream - the deception - that military power will bring peace. Again, they have not learned from their own history. When Israel's ancestors amassed troops, God sent the majority home, keeping a number so small that they would be forced to admit their victory was not from their own power.
The answer to "Why should I?" is: "For the sake of world peace." The third history lesson for Israel is to remember that their people have a central role as representatives of humanity. Everyone descended from one original father; we are all brothers and sisters, but Israel is the "Issac", the "Jacob" and the "Joseph" among nations. The heart that Israel acts with will create the fate that humanity lives or dies with. Israel needs to stop negotiating over what they should keep and start discussing how much more they could give.
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