Peace In Israel- Not With this Kind of Talk

Not unlike many people I have watched my political beliefs evolve over time. When it comes to Israel I have swung from the right to the left to the center and then a little closer to the right again.

In the early '90s I favored Oslo and thought that it just might be the dawn of a new era, but I was wrong. I still believe that peace is possible but under different terms than I thought then. Right now I am less optimistic given the language that is being used in PA broadcasts and in other places within the region.

Here is a link to the transcript of a speech given bySheik Ibrahim Mudeiris. It was aired on PA TV on May 13. Alternatively you can watch the video with subtitles here.

A couple of selections for your review:

"Ibrahim Mudeiris: Allah has tormented us with "the people most hostile to the believers" – the Jews. "Thou shalt find that the people most hostile to the believers to be the Jews and the polytheists." Allah warned His beloved Prophet Muhammad about the Jews, who had killed their prophets, forged their Torah, and sowed corruption throughout their history.

With the establishment of the state of Israel, the entire Islamic nation was lost, because Israel is a cancer spreading through the body of the Islamic nation, and because the Jews are a virus resembling AIDS, from which the entire world suffers.

You will find that the Jews were behind all the civil strife in this world. The Jews are behind the suffering of the nations."

This is not rhetoric or language that is used by or about people you wish to make peace with.

"We have ruled the world before, and by Allah, the day will come when we will rule the entire world again. The day will come when we will rule America. The day will come when we will rule Britain and the entire world – except for the Jews. The Jews will not enjoy a life of tranquility under our rule, because they are treacherous by nature, as they have been throughout history. The day will come when everything will be relieved of the Jews - even the stones and trees which were harmed by them. Listen to the Prophet Muhammad, who tells you about the evil end that awaits Jews. The stones and trees will want the Muslims to finish off every Jew."

I take this very seriously. There are many other clips in which have been translated from Arabic to English. If you are interested you can find them here. We must find a way to stop this kind of talk. If it is allowed to continue it only feeds the hatred. Until we can devise a way to see/discuss the humanity in others we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Unfortunately I expect that to reach that point is going to take much more bloodshed in conjunction with diplomacy.