It would seem so.
For all of the arrogance embedded in criticism of religion by humanist intellectuals who believe that the human intellect is the highest form of intelligence in the universe, and that humanity is capable, with educated reason, of resolving all of its own problems, it seems this problem, which I will generally identify as the continuous search for peace in the Middle East, is one that progressive intellectualism cannot solve. What's been done is done.
Since the First World War, Palestine has been embroiled in continuous violence that only gets worse. There are those among both the Israeli population and the Arabic Palestinian population who believe that peace is possible, and that the problems caused by the presence of a Jewish political state in the Middle East can be resolved. Understanding that it is a matter of Israeli security being tied to Palestinian justice, they are open minded when it comes to possible solutions, realizing the depth of the prejudice, bigotry and hatred that is involved.
What a Solution Might Look Like
The United States is certainly not perfect when it comes to the strength in unity of its own population. But, under our Constitutional democracy, there is a wide diversity among the population. Even though there are those who think the white population is entitled, that's not the way it is. Yes, we dispossessed the native population, and engaged in the slave trade. We have not always been welcoming or inviting to many of those who saw our country as their only refuge from violence and death. For better or for worse, we are what we are, history and all.
But, we are one nation, under one government. Within our boundaries, people who represent virtually every cultural, ethnic, racial and religious background live in relative peace, individual rights protected by the Constitution. And despite the provincial bigotry that prevails, due mainly to ignorance, what we have works because as a people, a majority of Americans are interested in making it work. It's who we are. And we have it as long as we, the people, are willing to work for its preservation.
So instead of trying, and continuously failing, to come to some kind of "two-state solution" to the violence in the Middle East, caused by the relatively rapid settlement of European Jews following the Holocaust, why not establish one state, in which all of the regions ethnic and religious groups could live peacefully, under democracy? Maybe the time has passed for that, though the relationships that seem to be developing between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries were encouraging, up to the point of the Hamas attack and events in Gaza.
The dispossessing of the population that lived in Palestine as the state of Israel was created is an ongoing problem, as is the religious bigotry that creates the hatred and keeps it going. Would religious liberty fix that? We've lived under it in this country for 247 years, not perfectly but as well as can be expected under the circumstances. Eliminating the effect of religiously-inspired violence and bigotry is in the domain of progressive intellectualism, is it not? A secular government, separated from religion and religious institutions, with the law equally and fairly applied, should have the means to keep the peace in a religiously and culturally diverse society.
In the United States, Americans are now learning lessons about the weaknesses and the faults of a Constitutional Democracy that, when it was founded, leaned more on the fear of the founders that the nation would return to monarchy than on the fear of threats from internal ideology figuring out how to overthrow a government using its own powers of office. The constitution of a single middle eastern state in which both the Jewish and Arabic populations could peacefully co-exist would have to be iron-clad, with plenty of willing defenders in the government as well as the military. That would, indeed, be an idealistic accomplishment, since the security and safety of Jewish and Arabic Americans is somewhat in question now, in this country. In the tiny space between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean sea, and between Lebanon and the Negev Desert, it would be a monumental achievement.
Wishful Thinking, but More Practical Solutions Are Necessary
Oppression breeds desperation leading to a sense of powerlessness which leads to violence. It's hard to say whether groups like Hamas or Hezbollah would ever have formed if a free state democracy in the Middle East had simply included the Arab population already residing there, instead of dispossessing them and putting them into what amounts to closed off reservations with restricted access. There's no place for terrorism, and it must be combatted and eliminated. Removing what terrorists consider to be their mission and purpose is the easiest way to do this.
Listening to, and empowering those who are there, who are Palestinian or Jewish, and who have the desire for peaceful co-existence and mutual respect, is necessary. Determining what is just for Palestinians and what is security for Israelis is also necessary. Can those things be accomplished, at least, sufficiently enough to make peace work? Is there willingness, enough at least, to try?
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