Nuanced Statement Of The Indian Government On The Israel-Hamas Conflict
Cool Chilli notes the recent nuanced statement of the Indian Government on the developments in the middle east with a lot of interest. Decisions taken which consider all available facts & ground realities and reflect the same are always welcome.
Israel, A Key Ally Of India. But...
Mind you, there had been nothing wrong in the earlier matter of fact statement by India denouncing terror attacks on Israel. Israel has been an ally of India in the latter’s own war on terror and a key vendor of cutting-edge technology products. Like most nations in the West, it would have been perfectly alright and politically correct for India to have stopped at that.
Bharat, Alias India, Vishwaguru
But a nation cannot be considered a ‘VishwaGuru’ for nothing. It cannot turn a blind eye to the Truth. At least for long. An old Sanskrit adage from the Manusmriti and mentioned in the Mahabhratha is ‘Dharmo Rakshathi Rakshithaha’ which translates to ‘Dharma (Righteousness) protects those who protect it’!
Dharma - Duty/ Ethics/ Path Of Righteousness/ Right Conduct
Dharma, is that wonderful ancient Indian concept with multiple nuanced interpretations possible. In the current context, it implies ‘Right Conduct’, irrespective of consequences.
Condemning Terrorism/ Injustice Of All Colours
In this case, the cruelty inflicted on innocent Israeli citizens by terror strikes needed to be condemned. But if we cannot see the wretched situation of the ‘ghettoed’ Palestinians, hypocrisy surely blinds us. There have possibly been more UN resolutions seeking better rights and leverages for the Palestinians than for any other community in the world. On the one hand, The Palestinians are helpless. On the other, modern Israel has somehow managed to position itself as an oppressor to the Palestinian eye.
Playing God: My Way Is Our Way, Yahweh
This forces open our eyes to the dangers posed when any single country, corporation or cartel starts playing 'God'. In the Middle East as in other places, Britain, the Great, did just that, stuffing Israel down Palestine’s throat in the early decades of the 20th century.
The Promised Land!
Speaking of God and Israel, readers may possibly know that Israel had been the name of ‘The Promised Land’ that Abraham’s God was leading him to, on the condition that the Jews stopped worshipping other Gods. The Jews do not seem to have settled in 'Israel' in the Patriarch's own lifetime.
Now We Seize It, Now We Don't
But by and by, the Jews did come to control the lands around Jerusalem. Maybe this was neither the full territory promised to Abraham nor was the Jewish control therein permanent, since historically this area has been one of the places with high volatility. Surely Cool Chilli is digressing. Let get back to the beginning of this issue, at least the more modern one.
Some Are Born Lucky, Some Great, Some Have Great Britain Thrust On Them!
Great Britain, ruling the waves and fresh from defeating the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th Century had been the Great Colonizer and the dispenser of justice all around, especially the self-serving kind. With the Balfour Declaration, it set the ball rolling for the formal creation of Israel out of Palestine.
The Holocaust
A decade later in Nazi Germany, the unimaginable suffering the Jews underwent would understandably sway the world’s sympathy. The powerful Jewish lobby in the US would also help Israel tide over the continuous challenges from the Arab world post World War II.
Temple
But the Jewish Juggernaut may not be able to realize that in its relentless and not unjustifiable quest to widen its own pond, it has been pushing Palestinians against the wall over the decades.
The Militant Muslim Does No Service To His 'Quom'/Community
Radical elements in Palestine may not really be good advertisement for the average resident. After the Irish Republican Army gave up arms, almost all the terror attacks the world over, seem to have been planned and perpetrated by radicalized Muslims.
Who Is To Be Blamed?
Religion and partial reality may be used by either side to further its own narrative. When there is perceived inequality (whether imagined or real) and when deliberations do not make progress, there is every possibility of some elements taking aggressive stances which may even morph into unhindered and brutal violence. Who is to be blamed? The person actually executing the terror attack or the vast apparatus behind it or the milieu itself and the feeling of helplessness (with peaceful negotiations) that contribute to and foment this violence.
Narrative Kneads Mindsets
Imagine a child who has grown up seeing bloodshed and perhaps has even lost someone close to her. She is also fed narratives. Depending on the opportunities available, she chooses a career. If part of a more independent and viable economy, she has more options. She may become a researcher or if her blood is boiling with all the narratives, she may become an activist / fighter.
Thin Lines Divide The Militant & The Soldier
Her counterpart on the other side, also fed narratives may or may not have the same opportunities. If not confined to her home, and if her immediate eco-system so moulds her, she may also become a fighter. The only difference is that the former child will be called a soldier or a counter-insurgency professional and the latter, a terrorist. But essentially both moulded by the narratives fed to them.
Narratives Cut Both Ways
Narratives are powerful tools to orchestrate the change we need. They are increasingly used to manipulate the target audience too. The victim may be showcased as perpetrator, and vice versa. This works both ways.
Questions With Uneasy Answers
Ironically, most of us taking a strong stance (one way or the other in the current conflict) would possibly answer the following questions almost in the same way as Cool Chilli.
Have the Jews been a community victimized through much of History. Yes of course.
Do they deserve to live in peace? Yes of course.
Irrespective of whether or not you believe Abraham’s God had sent him in search of ‘The Promised Land’, do they need a place to settle in and grow?
Yes, of course.
Can the average peace-loving Palestinian be justified in feeling his/ her community’s interests have been blatantly compromised by Imperialist powers. Yes, of course.
Will the Palestinians be feeling increasingly helpless with the might of the First World stacked against them?
Yes, very likely.
Did the 20th Century powers that carved Israel out of Palestine have much of their own skin (or those of their citizens) in the game?
No, not really.
Did these Imperial powers truly believe they were doing something for the global good or at least for the region by their actions?
No, does not seem likely, unless they had been severely challenged intellectually or the other extreme... suffering from intellectual arrogance.
Hope For The Future
Cool Chilli hopes that a Compromise that gives something to each side is worked out soon. But then, will the interested parties (who may benefit from all this uncertainty, acrimony and bloodshed) really let that happen? Their plans may come to naught if peace really prevails.
To end on a desi note, the ruling party of the day has showcased it is both practical and fortified with Dharma. Strangely (on the cusp of domestic elections) it is also politically convenient.
Dharma Rakshathi Rakshitaha!
Satyameva Jayate
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