Brotherly Love

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It’s no small coincidence that most monumental feuds and turning points in Western religious tradition take place between brothers.  What if Cain and Abel just buried the hatchet (so to speak) instead of nursing a Isaac/Ishmael-like resentment. Lot might have been a bit happier had he been on better terms with Abraham (at least his wife wouldn’t have turned into sodium-chloride).

One of the most fascinating and revolting things about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that it blurs the lines between Jews and Israelis, Muslims and Palestinians. Fault and blame lies heavily on both sides. So, too, does the weight of death, and despair mar the disparate factions. But where’s the intense hatred that the Europeans worked so hard to deserve?

From what I can tell it’s easier to hate the people closest to oneself than it is to retrospectively trace problems back to their roots. Balfour, Sykes, and Picot should be rotting in a special level of hell, not all British and French. And while I’m not a fan of “big people” history and think that history is made by trends and the masses, the decisions of a few have certainly ruined our present.

The conflict is perpetuated through thoughtless, common talk on either side. How is saying “You’re cheap like a Jew” or “Yet another Jew getting paid to go to Israel” make you any different from those who associate all Muslims with terrorists and always randomly select you for airport screenings.

Eleven million people died in the Holocaust. Six million because they profess to be of the Nation of Abraham and uphold the Covenant of Moses. Does this make it right to commit crimes against humanity on another population? No. Does killing innocents in the streets of Jerusalem bring one any closer to Jenna? No. You keep Kosher, you are Halal. You share one God. The interference of the powerful few and the anger, frustration, and abuse of the many on both sides.

Man up. Stop hating, and give your brother a hug.

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