By Deacon Gary Stone
I write this during week five of the most recent war between Israel and Hamas.
I’m mindful that many will be perplexed by the seeming complex situation, and desire to offer some insights from my lived experience in the region, and reflection on current and underpinning events.
Most importantly I pray for a cease fire and eventual peace – with justice for all.
The vision of both Israelis and Palestinians dying sickens me – and I have seen more suffering in life than most.
God must weep over this, and any sane human being must despair, over how this conflict is being fought, and the catastrophic damage and death it is bringing to so many innocent people caught up and powerless to escape it.
It grieves me too, that political leaders are putting out trite and inflammatory statements, that “We support Israel”, or “We support Palestine”, as if this were some competition that someone will win.
There will be no winners, only losers.
Both sides are breaching and defying the International laws of conflict, dismissing humanitarian imperatives to protect the innocent and suffering, and disregarding Gods desire that humanity act humanely, love their neighbours, resolve disagreements peacefully, and reconcile.
The time tested “Just War” doctrine developed by St Augustine, requiring just cause and discriminate and proportionate response is disregarded.
We are seeing a war with potentially no end, with every day’s bombings pushing more people around the world, seeking to take up arms against one side or the other.
As this catastrophe continues, people of goodwill should be searching for and promoting and perhaps demanding and imposing long term solutions, which the belligerents in this case, have been unable or unwilling to agree to do in 70 years of armed struggle.
I witnessed earlier episodes of this conflict firsthand in 1978 and again in 2006.
I served in Iran and Iraq in 1989-90.
I have listened to the desires of Jewish people who desire the right to live and belong to a Jewish state after centuries of marginalisation.
I empathise with their fear of being attacked by their neighbours.
I have been with some of the millions of Palestinians living in abject poverty in refugee camps, or under a brutal military occupation in the West Bank with no hope in sight.
I’ve witnessed the bulldozing of Palestinian villages in the West Bank to make way for 700,000 illegal Jewish settlers brought in from around the world.
I’ve observed the hundreds of UN resolutions to work towards a just resolution, being vetoed by US governments, beholden to financial support for election campaigns.
I understand why the traditional owners of these lands take up arms.
Peace can only exist where justice prevails.
I empathise with both Israelis and Palestinians caught up in this tragedy.
But nothing excuses the barbarity of Hamas, and Israel can’t indiscriminately kill its way out of this situation.
The folly of the current retaliatory Israeli shock and awe campaign is that it inspires even more traumatised young Palestinians to take up arms in a war without end.
Immediate humanitarian support for the non-combatants must be permitted.
I pray for sanity and humanity to enter into the minds of the leaders involved to stop this carnage, act within the international norms of behaviour, and prevent an escalation into another wider regional conflict.
The fundamental root cause – and solution – remains that the long intended Two State solution – an independent Israel and an Independent Palestine – has not been implemented.
What we are witnessing on our TV screens is part of our much longer story.
This is not a religious conflict.
In practical terms it’s about land, and in human terms it’s about dogged extremism on both sides.
Small teams of Australian Veterans have been operating as peacemakers in this region since the end of World War Two.
We are able to make an objective view of the situation and the possible solutions.
An understanding of recent history is critical to comprehend why this is happening, and what conditions will be required for peace.
After almost 300 years of occupation by the Ottoman Empire, British forces at the end of World War I occupied and controlled the area called Palestine – from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean – until the end of World War II.
It was then decided by United Nations decree that an independent state of Israel would be established on the fertile coastal plains of Palestine, inviting people of Jewish heritage from all around the world to come and live there freely.
For that to happen, millions of Palestinian people who had been living there for hundreds of years, fled or were forcibly evicted into refugee camps in the West Bank, Lebanon , Syria, Jordan, Gaza and Egypt.
The neighbouring countries were not at all happy with the situation, and sought to evict the Israelis from the region in a series of major battles in 1948, 1967 and 1973, but were unable to do so.
Indeed, the Israeli forces expanded their area of occupation, north, east and south, into what they considered to be a necessary buffer zone.
Israeli military occupation of this land and its peoples has continued to this day, and the desires of the Palestinian people to have their own state have been unrealised.
All countries except Israel agree that a two state solution, of an independent Israel and independent Palestine is required.
Numerous resistance and liberation groups have violently contested the Israeli occupation and the most recent break out from the Gaza by Hamas fighters has certainly been the worst.
I am a passionate advocate for peace, reconciliation, and justice.
The targeting by Hamas of civilians was barbaric.
The response by the Israeli government in a sustain bombing of Gaza, killing thousands of innocent women and children is also barbaric.
The ongoing Israeli blockade of humanitarian relief supplies to starving, wounded Ill and injured civilians is reprehensible.
We in Australia feel powerless to influence events.
The US Government certainly can influence matters.
An Armageddon of catastrophic proportions is certainly possible unless the violence can be reined in.
Two thousand years ago, God came to this land in the person of Jesus with a fundamental message that they should love their neighbour.
Jesus was crucified for preaching such an audacious message.
But reconciliation is required to move forward.
Neither Hamas nor Israel can win anything other than more suffering by the tactics and strategy they are using.
Even more belligerents are being created by every Bomb dropped or rocket being fired.
A two-state solution must be developed if not demanded by the international community.
An armed UN Peacekeeping intervention and separation of forces will be required eventually.
God of peace, please move in the hearts of those who can influence this situation. May all people of goodwill seek to contribute to a just solution.
May humanity come to realise that we must love our neighbours.
Deacon Gary Stone served for 48 years in the Australian Defence Force as a Peacemaker and as a Chaplain , and was involved in seven different conflicts. He is a graduate of the Royal Miltary College , the Australian Command and Staff College, The Australian War College, and has a Batchelor of Theology and Graduate Diploma of Ministry. He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his humanitarian ministry in Timor Lest, e and in healing and rehabilitating. wounded, ill and injured veterans in Australia.
