One Word...

 

I watched the movie One Word: Occupation by Nejemye Tenenbaum shortly before the latest war started. It is a 30-Minute long, featuring exclusively one voice, of Gershon Baskin, a journalist and social activitist supporting the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.

I was not sure that I would mention this movie on my blogging rantings because very often in the last days I felt that words do not make any sense. No matter what you say or you want to say, there is an outburst of hate that will reduce you to a polite silence. But words do create sense in the middle of the deepest despair, in the same way they can deepen the despair. 

Indeed there is a war, and there will be probably more and people will die and Jews will be hunted again in Europe or elsewhere. There is mentioned in the movie a quote by Moshe Dayan according to which ´Israel must be seen as a mad dog, too dangerous to bother´, but times had changed and the 1967 war tripled the size of Israel in just six days. Things only went further and futher on and things went worse: economically and socially for the Palestinians blocked in Gaza, but also for the Israeli population who is facing the danger of the bombs sent by Hamas, or are part of the system which implements the rule of low in the territories. 

Baskin said that in fact, there are initiatives that may create peace, like the 2003 Geneva Initiative, but there is a need of a proper leadership keen to implement it. The right of fighting terrorists is justified, but there should be find a way towards peace. And here again, I dare to say, it is a matter of leadership. 

Not every current Israeli politician should equal the political intelligence of a Moshe Dayan, and the corruption and lack of common vision of the political leadership is a problem all over the world. But the cartoonish selfish politicians with a taste for luxury are not exactly the kind of leadership that may understand how important is to give up - power included - for the peace of your people.