Caught in Catch-67

 

The legacy of the six-day war that was inflicted upon Israel is weighting heavy on the everyday reality of both Israelis and Palestinians living on a highly disputed land. With a deep knowledge of both the Biblical sources as of the geopolitical and political realities on the ground, Dr. Micah Goodman not only reviews extensively the past and its extensions into the present, but also suggests possible future directions.

The Jewish tradition requires sharp inquisitiveness and refusal to acknowledge a given situation until all the possibilities were exhausted. The fact that both the left and the right mindsets within Israel do differ fundamentally is a sign of this state of mind. Their differences does not mean they are wrong - or right - it´s just a fact generated by the differences of perspectives, but also a proof of the many changes underwent by the Jewish thought from the 19th century onwards.

The dynamics of the relationship with the Palestinians is predominated by the heavy historical memories but also on the religious limitations on both sides. It´s a relationship, mentions Goodman, predominated by fear - against Palestinians - and humiliations - of the Palestinians living under the Israeli control. 

But there are facts that willingly or not are frequently omitted from the current discourse on the two state or one state solutions vehiculated in the media. Although a Palestinian state as such never been, there were offers in this respect that were rejected. ´Stateless Palestinians are the victims of their own rejectionism´, and the author gives the example, but unfortunately it does not reflect too much upon the complex structure of the Palestinian establishment. His idea of a hudna - which I´ve heard about a couple of times in the 1990s, of a patial peace agreement which will avoid the Palestinian frustration of not being given, among others, the right of return, should be implemented by state structures and who will do it on the Palestinian side? 

Without a credible partner on the Palestinian side who is working on behalf of the Palestinian people, not on those - especially extraneous agents - aimed to fuel the conflict because it suits their political and religious interests, not Palestinians´ the peace cannot be achieved. Any kind of peace. Therefore, the feelings of humiliation and fear, experienced by both sides will only increase. The people who grew up with fear and the people who grew up experiencing the daily humiliation would not be able to see the light of a common future. 

Reading Catch-67 was a very refreshing experience for me because it sorted out a lot of details and information that - not surprisingly - are rarely mentioned in the evaluation of the latest conflict. It´s one of the most elaborated and elevated outline of the post-1967 crisis that I´ve read lately and I am glad that it happened to get the book while the latest episode was unfolding as it clarified for me a couple of positions as well as possibilities. I am also glad to read that actually there would be some smart solutions, but you need two to tango.