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Last update - 14:16 12/09/2006
Sept. 11, the day that coexistence died
By Bradley Burston

Note: This article will be followed by an experiment. In an effort to foster rational dialogue, Talkback responses to this piece will be subject to stringent new guidelines, as specified below.

______________________



This century is only a few years old, but it has already succeeded in making of hope itself, an orphan.

This week we mark the watershed event of the young century.

The intent of 9/11 was an uncompromising, open-ended war to the death with the American Empire.

It was, as well, a declared war against accommodation with Westernization and Zionism, and, as such, also a war against the possibility of coexistence.

In the Middle East, where the 1990s were marked by cautious hope for peacemaking, the 21st Century has been one of continual bloodshed, the salting of old wounds and the opening of new ones.

In theater after theater of armed conflicts between Jews and Arabs, and between the U.S.-led West and the Muslim Mideast, if, as always, the first casualty of war was truth, moderation and co-existence were the next to go.

Whether by design or circumstance, one result has been a radical change in the discourse between Arab and Jew, Muslim and non-Muslim, the West and the non-Israeli Near East.

The confluence of world-straddling terrorism, war in the territories, and war in Afghanistan and Iraq, has put paid to a host of co-existence projects born in the decades that came before.

Israeli military operations and policies in Gaza, the West Bank, and southern Lebanon have effectively undermined the efforts - and the motivation - of peace-minded Palestinian and Lebanese to work for peace agreements and to oppose the extremists in their midst.

Palestinian suicide bombings in Israeli cities, and Qassam rocket barrages on the Negev following the withdrawal of settlers and the IDF from the Gaza Strip, have gutted the ideology and the expectations of Israel's left and moderate center, dashing hopes of forging a peace in the foreseeable future with two independent nations living alongside one another.

Hezbollah's border kidnappings and recent rocket attacks on cities, towns and villages in the north in retaliation for IDF bombing and shelling in Lebanon, served to unite Israelis in the sense that jihadists would answer a withdrawal to UN-recognized lines as an invitation to demand further pull-backs.

U.S. and allied invasions and military occupations of Afghanistan and, in particular Iraq, coupled with a wave of Iraqi insurgent bombings unprecedented in scope, frequency and lethal consequences, have raised serious questions among Iraqi and other Muslim moderates as to the motives and capabilities of the West as proponents and guarantors of a future peace.

Under the circumstances, it could be argued that in the post-9/11 era, belief in co-existence is the province only of children or fools.

Under the circumstances, it could also be argued that those who still believe in co-existence have been shouted down, brow-beaten, driven underground by the passions for revenge, the pains of grief, the sheer shock of violence that has passed for daily life here since well before September 11.

Under the circumstances, I have a confession to make. I still believe in coexistence. Despite everything. Despite all the substantive evidence to the direct contrary.

I still believe that at heart, the great majority of the residents of this benighted land, this accursed region, desire peace more than they desire blood vengeance.

I believe that the great majority of Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians, and Israelis, all of whom share a formal state of war, are human beings first, children of the same God more than they are worshippers of the same gun.

I understand that generations of fury and hurt cannot be dispelled with words, and that fresh grief cannot be assuaged with dialogue. But I also believe that the leaders of the nations at war are the last people we can hope to make peace for us.

It may be a drop in an ocean of hatred, but it is time to buck the prevailing compulsion to blame, vilify, and incite hatred against the other people in this place, none of whom are planning just to leave this area to their present enemies. It is time to see if there is any danger of dialogue breaking out.

It is September 11 again. As good a time as any to start.


______________________



Talkback Guidelines

The guiding principles of the talkback forum for this article will be mutual respect and an openness to dialogue. Participants, even if they rule out, dismiss or oppose coexistence, must, within the confines of this forum, practice it.

Censorship will be unapologetic.

Political orientation will have absolutely no bearing on whether a comment is posted or rejected.

The following will be grounds for deletion:

1. Racist remarks, as well as slurs on the basis of religion, ethnicity and gender.
2. Use of the terms Nazi, Hitler, genocide, ethnic cleansing, to describe the actions and policies of Israelis, Palestinians or other parties to the Israel-Arab conflict.
3. Disparaging remarks, personal attacks, vulgarities and profanities directed at other participants in the forum.
4. Advocacy of violence against individuals or religious, ethnic or racial groups, including statements which may be construed as urging attacks on leaders, officials, security forces or civilians.
5.Use of the phrase: "There are no Palestinians" or derivatives thereof.

________________________


Previous blogs:

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  • If Israel had only a year to live

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      1.   To Mr. Burston... 09:16  |  Maral 11/09/06
      2.   Here`s the best response to 9/11 09:48  |  Frantz 11/09/06
      3.   To Maral 09:49  |  Dimitris 11/09/06
      4.   Just Yesterday: Majority Of Palestinians Support Suicide Bombing 09:53  |  Yishai Kohen 11/09/06
      5.   Say goodbye to the old fun Talkback 09:59  |  Clickfool 11/09/06
      6.   Coexistence Remains Despite of Everything 10:05  |  Karim 11/09/06
      7.   how to change one`s own view of the other..? 10:07  |  Bainem 11/09/06
      8.   Hard to believe 10:09  |  Salam 11/09/06
      9.   Yishai #4, see, you`re blind to the other`s pain. 10:11  |  Bainem 11/09/06
      10.   IN THE NAME OF POLITICS 10:18  |  Mark of Lewiston 11/09/06
      11.   To karim 10:22  |  Dimitris 11/09/06
      12.   Burston`s fifth item 10:23  |  DJStahl 11/09/06
      13.   No war lasts forever 10:24  |  Jacob 11/09/06
      14.   Gaza Disengagement Misrepresented 10:33  |  Mark of Lewiston 11/09/06
      15.   Van Creveld, in 2003 10:34  |  Rowan Berkeley 11/09/06
      16.   To Dimitris #11 10:43  |  Frantz 11/09/06
      17.   maral your face yesterday was nearer the truth 10:51  |  disraeli 11/09/06
      18.   To Dimitri No. 11 10:53  |  Karim 11/09/06
      19.   maral crying for the victims 10:53  |  disraeli 11/09/06
      20.   To Frantz No. 2 10:55  |  Karim 11/09/06
      21.   terrorists 10:56  |  potaboc 11/09/06
      22.   Bainem re Yishai 10:57  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 11/09/06
      23.   14.Mark of L. "Gaza Disengagement Misrepresented" by you. 10:57  |  MI 11/09/06
      24.   Bainem #9: The Arabs` Pain Is Self-Inflicted 11:05  |  Yishai Kohen 11/09/06
      25.   how to make others change opinion 11:08  |  lebanese pacifist 11/09/06
      26.   16 Frantz, Of Americans and Bosnians 11:10  |  Michigan 11/09/06
      27.   To Franz - you make it easy 11:12  |  Dimitris 11/09/06
      28.   Well done Bradley Burston SINCERELY! 11:12  |  Ari ben Yisrael 11/09/06
      29.   To disraeli`s disbelief 11:13  |  Maral 11/09/06
      30.   On Co-existence 11:16  |  Sami 11/09/06
      31.   to 22 11:18  |  lebanese pacifist 11/09/06
      32.   Questions to be asked. 11:18  |  Itsik 11/09/06
      33.   Lebanese pacifist 11:22  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 11/09/06
      34.   suicide bombing are criminal 11:25  |  lebanese pacifist 11/09/06
      35.   maral 11:26  |  disraeli 11/09/06
      36.   To Mr. Lebanese Pacifist, ask yourself these questions 11:26  |  Ariel 11/09/06
      37.   What`s delaying coexistence is mutual fear 11:27  |  A`yin 11/09/06
      38.   #26 and 27 11:34  |  Frantz 11/09/06
      39.   #37 A`yin 11:42  |  Itsik 11/09/06
      40.   It`s pointless 11:44  |  Marilyn 11/09/06
      41.   Reply to Bainem in Paris 11:46  |  Mike 11/09/06
      42.   The Lion and the Deer 11:46  |  Klaudia 11/09/06
      43.   Lebanese pacifist: re 34 11:49  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 11/09/06
      44.   Franz #38 11:50  |  Dimitris 11/09/06
      45.   Lebanese Pacifist, you`re wrong 11:53  |  David 11/09/06
      46.   # 10- Mark of Lewiston 11:53  |  Klaudia 11/09/06
      47.   To Maral, Disraeli, Margie, and all... 11:55  |  Itsik 11/09/06
      48.   Down to Terrorism 11:59  |  Abu Umar 11/09/06
      49.   To Itsik No.32 12:01  |  Karim 11/09/06
      50.   38Frantz: Prevention of a threat is not retaliation 12:02  |  Logician 11/09/06
      51.   9/11 & The Rightwing 12:14  |  Freddy 11/09/06
      52.   To Dimitris number 3 12:21  |  Maral 11/09/06
      53.   ISLAMIST terror,the motive straight from Al Qeida 12:22  |  PETER SM 11/09/06
      54.   #49 Karim 12:24  |  Itsik 11/09/06
      55.   #51 12:27  |  Itsik 11/09/06
      56.   There is no alternatieve to coexistence 12:31  |  Wael Hendawi 11/09/06
      57.   Talk Back guidelines 12:38  |  raj 11/09/06
      58.   "children of the same God" 12:43  |  Froggie 11/09/06
      59.   Talkback 12:48  |  RIB 11/09/06
      60.   You are Logical Mr.Burston 12:50  |  Mohamed Osman 11/09/06
      61.   The Day Mr. Bush Showed Who He Is. 12:50  |  Arik 11/09/06
      62.   To Itsik No.54 12:52  |  Karim 11/09/06
      63.   Klaudia - lions 12:59  |  Efraim 11/09/06
      64.   Co-existance 13:03  |  Choni 11/09/06
      65.   To Clickfool 13:04  |  FOX 11/09/06
      66.   Marilyn 13:11  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 11/09/06
      67.   ariel 36 13:21  |  potaboc 11/09/06
      68.   To David No. 45 13:21  |  Karim 11/09/06
      69.   Karim #59 13:22  |  Itsik 11/09/06
      70.   Efraim`s petting zoo #62 13:28  |  FOX 11/09/06
      71.   #65 margie and Marilyn 13:29  |  Itsik 11/09/06
      72.   To Karim 13:34  |  David 11/09/06
      73.   We Shall All Soon coexist in...POVERTY 13:35  |  Klaudia 11/09/06
      74.   Margie in Tel Aviv 13:48  |  mohamed Osman 11/09/06
      75.   hungarian deer goulash aka ephraim 13:50  |  fagin 11/09/06
      76.   Down The Chain of Command! 13:59  |  Wim 11/09/06
      77.   Mohamed Osman 14:02  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 11/09/06
      78.   Lucky Larry 14:04  |  Dav 11/09/06
      79.   #63- Efraim... Houston We Have a Problem... 14:05  |  Klaudia 11/09/06
      80.   Fox, 70 14:10  |  Efraim 11/09/06
      81.   Shalom l`Itsik bLondon 14:20  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 11/09/06
      82.   Clickfool: Fun at talkback 14:27  |  Mohammad Rosner 11/09/06
      83.   To David No. 72 - False Claims 14:28  |  Karim 11/09/06
      84.   to Fagin 14:28  |  Efraim 11/09/06
      85.   Margoush mitel aviv 14:35  |  Itsik 11/09/06