Fighting on the Wrong Field

"Wars are won in the will; perhaps you've been fighting in the wrong field"

-quote from "13th Warrior"

The biggest buzz right now is the Israeli invasion into the Gaza area, which has resulted into a sizable number of civilian casualties. There are many dissenting voices criticizing the action, and pressure on Israel to withdraw from the area is mounting.

Let's take slight look back.

They started the offensive after Hamas allegedly launched rockets into their territory, resulting in some damage and casualties as well. Therefore they are in effect, retaliating against strikes directed at them from a foreign aggressor. Thus would that make their actions justified?

No, I don't think so. If the prior action against them is terror attacks, so are their current actions. Terror attacks differ from real war in that the armed aggressor strikes at the helpless civilian population instead of a well matched opponent. If anything, I would say that the Israeli seems just looking for an excuse to shed the blood of others. And I'll tell you why.

If you are really seeking a solution to a problem, you will find the cause of it, and not attack the symptoms. Terror attacks are the symptoms of an even bigger issue. Other symptoms of it includes riots, protests, hatred and many more. The fact of the matter is people in the are do not agree to the very existence of Israel. It is made of land taken from the Palestinians against their wishes, to create a country which it would seem, is made out of foreigners. Nevermind that yes, once upon a time in ancient times that's where Jewish people came from. History progressed, and we move on. If everyone thinks just because their people came from a particular land in ancient times would make them having legitimate claims to the lands TODAY, then by all means, the US should give back the lands to the native Americans, and let them make a country of their own there. Australians should pack up their bags too. And we malays probably have to return back to the Indonesian islands, where Parameswara was supposedly from.

But we won't do that. And neither will the US or Australians. And I can accept that. But with Israel we made an exception. Why? I don't know. Maybe because of the holocaust and their suffering means we should now let them do as they please. I don't know. But correct me if I am wrong is saying that many other people of varying origins and ethnicity have suffered as well in the course of history, dying in the thousands, maybe even millions. Should we now let these people do whatever they damn well please as well? I don't know. You tell me.

All I see is that the Israeli seems to be relishing the opportunity to flex their military might.

So instead of finding ways to make themselves acceptable to their neighbors, Israel chose to continually shed more of their neighbor's civilian blood at the slightest act of provocation, and in some instances in the past, grab even more land from their Arab neighbors. Brilliant don't you think? Now everybody there wants to invite them to parties, I think.

People tend to blame the US too, and for good reason. It seems that the US has signed some form of blank cheque to Israel, supporting everything the little terrorist country would like to do, supplying them with weapons and the like. US weapons are indeed among the most state of the art the world has seen, bravo to them for that. Now, instead of using it for peace keeping and fighting off tyrants and aggressors, lets use those weapons to support vile states like the fore mentioned, or be aggressors ourselves. Another brilliant idea, don't you think?

To be honest I kind of hate seeing America vilified so much. What happened? In the past, they fought, bled and died for the cause of liberty, true liberty, and they saved many from tyranny. They joined the fight reluctantly but pursued it to the bitter end with great determination. And then, after they have achieved their goals, they went home and not staking much claim to what they have fought.

They were like heroes, selfless and courageous, using their might for good. And I admired them.

Once.

Today though, many people know them as supporters of rogue states like Israel or foreign invaders themselves, seeking to forcefully convert any state they choose to adopt their ideals. They are no longer the heroes, but the villains.

Tun Dr. Mahathir, former prime minister of Malaysia, did mention in his own blog that Americans should stop forcing democratization on other people. I think that is quite true, and quite ironic when you think further on the matter. Democracy should be the ideal where the people had the right to choose their government and leaders, right? So how come Americans see the need to FORCE people into democracy, when the very idea is about giving choice to people instead of being forced into it?

As the quote I mentioned at the start of this entry states, 'wars are won in the will'. The battle here is of ideals. This is not some business that is solved by killing the perpetrators. Do that, and others will just take their place eventually. The heart of the issue remains the same. People feel violated, oppressed and treated unjustly.

There is a war going on. But the battles are fought on the wrong field.