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We're not man enough to make peace
By Bradley Burston


We are poorly developed primates, these people, my friends, the Jews and the Palestinians of the Holy Land.

We beat our fists against our chests a lot to assure our enemies, and no less, ourselves, that we haven't lost an ounce of macho. But we're not man enough to be human beings.

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Just as we drive like monsters to proclaim our machismo to the broadest possible audience, but we are not man enough to stand up to our kids and make them wear seat belts in the back seat.

In more than a century of living together in this place, we have proven ourselves, decade after decade, macho enough to make war, but not man enough to make peace.

Like little boys delighting their family with precocious displays of bonehead locker-room masculinity, every act of war that we the Jews or they the Palestinians perform, is met with a chorus of cheers, blessings, learned explanations and justifications from supporters across the world.

Every half-hearted tic we take in the general direction peace is hooted at from home, condemned to death by the self-styled keepers of the faith at home, who will shout it down the initiative if they can, or literally shoot it down if they must.

The choice is simple, and we are persuaded to make it early. If we make war, we are loved by our own side as the little boy who has done as his family or his rabbi or sheikh, would have him do. There will be compliments on his devotion, his guts, his savvy, his clarity of thinking, his willingness to act.

Try to make peace, however, and your own side will be the first to emasculate you. How could you know so little, they will ask. How could you risk so much?

We have persuaded ourselves that even peacemaking is a function of the quality of our he-man posturing, that we will find a true peace only through improving our ability to make war, that we will convince the other side to bend only when they are convinced that we never will.

Holy men of this place teach chapter and verse that war is right and proper, that peace is worse than surrender, it is contrary to the will of the one God of these two peoples. The Mideast conflicts, in particular the 1967 war, have warped religious Judaism and fundamentalist Islam beyond recognition.

It is only natural that these teachings, these displays, grow only more feverish as the situation grows more despairing, more hopeless. There are those in Hamas ? and, truth be told, in the Knesset and the IDF as well ? who believe that initiated violence is necessary, and the sooner the better.

We have been taught that the other side deserves collective punishment. We have not internalized how that punishment feels.

We have been taught, both in the Israeli and Palestinian narratives, that uprising and warfare are the path to freedom. But we are, both of our peoples, now slaves to the consequences of our uprisings and our wars.

It is time for a redefinition of courage here, a new conception of heroism, one that recognizes that the risks of compromise are fully as necessary as the readiness to fight. It is time to fight the idea that manliness and moral authority grow out of the barrel of a gun.

It is time that we two peoples turned our uprisings inward. Israelis must take the lead in dismantling their own occupation. Palestinians must take the lead in coming to terms with a sovereign state of Israel.

It's time, before we all grow any older here, that we grew up.


_________________


Recent blogs:

Let Arabs tell the truth
Hamas the cripple, Gaza the doomed
The Right of Return of the Jewish People
What self-hating Jews can teach Muslims



__________________


The guiding principles of the talkback forum for this article will be mutual respect and 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, 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.


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  1.   WHAT ABOUT NOT WOMAN ENOUGH? 11:10  |  indrajaya 28/08/07
  2.   WHAT ABOUT NOT WOMAN ENOUGH? 11:10  |  indrajaya 28/08/07
  3.   BB - many Israelis will not like what you just said! 11:17  |  An Arab Neighbor 28/08/07
  4.   Israel is not interested in peace 11:19  |  Natallie Durson 28/08/07
  5.   Not impressed 11:23  |  Maral 28/08/07
  6.   You`re right: Be a mensch. But... 11:39  |  Kol ha-Nevi`im 28/08/07
  7.   Bradley sounds like Arafat saying peace of the brave 11:59  |  Joseph E . 28/08/07
  8.   Natallie Durson 12:04  |  Walid 28/08/07
  9.   THE ROCKY ROAD TO PEACE 12:07  |  STRONGBOW 28/08/07
  10.   You`re right: Be a mensch [PART 2] 12:08  |  Kol ha-Nevi`im 28/08/07
  11.   WE`RE NOT MAN ENOUGH TO ACCEPT G-D`S LAND INHERITANCE FOR JEWS ?? 12:08  |  Bill 28/08/07
  12.   BRADLEY HAS IT IN REVERSE WHEN ARE THE MUSLIMS 12:09  |  PAUL HARRIS 28/08/07
  13.   Bradley, you`re a guy after my own heart, but.... 12:13  |  Esther 28/08/07
  14.   Bradley, aren`t you forgetting something? 12:14  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 28/08/07
  15.   hello Maral 12:15  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 28/08/07
  16.   Not Intellectually Honest Enough To Write A Decent Column 12:29  |  dyinglikeflies 28/08/07
  17.   # 5 Maral 12:39  |  Joseph E . 28/08/07
  18.   Support for Kol ha-Nevi`im 12:52  |  Andrew Watson 28/08/07
  19.   "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will--" 12:54  |  PETER.SM 28/08/07
  20.   Walid #8 re Natalie Durson - they all want peace, but 13:03  |  dana 28/08/07
  21.   Peace is possible if really wanted 13:06  |  Wellwisher 28/08/07
  22.   Couldn`t agree with Bradley less..... 13:08  |  Dagma 28/08/07
  23.   # 6 , # 10 Kol ha-Nevi`im 13:10  |  Joseph E . 28/08/07
  24.   Peace is possible if really wanted 13:13  |  Wellwisher 28/08/07
  25.   Walid #8 re Natalie Durson - Pals too want peace, but 13:16  |  dana 28/08/07
  26.   KOLHANVIIM"Arab-Palestinian people who legally owned"?? really 13:22  |  PETER SM 28/08/07
  27.   indra ja ya yah yah yah and sexist remarks 13:22  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 28/08/07
  28.   WOMAN IN MUSLIM WORLD 13:25  |  indrajaya 28/08/07
  29.   Dana 13:29  |  Walid 28/08/07
  30.   We`re not man enough to make peace 13:36  |  Josh 28/08/07
  31.   Both title and contents are 13:36  |  S 28/08/07
  32.   # 27, MARGIE IN TEL AVIV 13:43  |  indrajaya 28/08/07
  33.   walid #29 - misunderstanding 14:10  |  dana 28/08/07
  34.   # 3 An Arab Neighbor 14:13  |  Lynn 28/08/07
  35.   The warlovers outnumber the peacemakers 14:17  |  Don Camillo 28/08/07
  36.   Indrajaya 14:25  |  Lynn 28/08/07
  37.   How many Palestinians? 14:28  |  Michael Jacobs 28/08/07
  38.   Real men like Rabin 14:30  |  Jeff 28/08/07
  39.   To the Israeli peacenik 14:39  |  Gene 28/08/07
  40.   Another great article 14:51  |  ScotGuy 28/08/07
  41.   Margie in Tel Aviv 14:54  |  Walid 28/08/07
  42.   D.CAMILLO Please quote your sources for the numbers. 15:08  |  PETER.SM 28/08/07
  43.   Rabbi Burston 15:10  |  Sidney 28/08/07
  44.   Only Manhigut Yehudit is man enough to make peace - via transfer! 15:12  |  Jo 28/08/07
  45.   Peace is not the objective: Being Jews is 15:13  |  Manhigut Yehudit 28/08/07
  46.   indrajaya"WOMAN IN MUSLIM WORLD" honor killed,make no mistake 15:13  |  PETER SM 28/08/07
  47.   #8 Walid - There may be a miniscule 15:13  |  spyguy 28/08/07
  48.   Burston`s problem is that he is suffering from mental illness 15:14  |  Yael 28/08/07
  49.   To indrajaya # 1 15:15  |  Dagma 28/08/07
  50.   ##6 & 10 15:15  |  JW 28/08/07
  51.   WOMAN IN MUSLIM WORLD 15:18  |  GABE1 28/08/07
  52.   # 1 Indrajaya 15:20  |  Tony Anthony 28/08/07
  53.   TAKE THE LEAD?BURSTON DESTROYS HIS OWN ARGUMENT 15:21  |  Ian 28/08/07
  54.   Rabin - a real man? Rabin was the father of the Oslo war: 15:22  |  Nir 28/08/07
  55.   ScotGuy of Glasgow 15:24  |  Lynn 28/08/07
  56.   Don Camillo 15:25  |  Lynn 28/08/07
  57.   Walid 15:28  |  Lynn 28/08/07
  58.   # 6 Kol 15:32  |  Lynn 28/08/07
  59.   Sure I´m enough woman to make peace, but can I TRUST the one, 15:40  |  Alicia 28/08/07
  60.   S#31 - But aren`t leaders a result of their societies? 15:41  |  dana 28/08/07
  61.   For Walid # 8 15:46  |  Clickfool 28/08/07
  62.   To Kol ha Nevi im # 6 15:50  |  Dolly 28/08/07
  63.   TRUE PEACE WILL NOT EXIST UNTIL THE JEWISH MESSIAH REIGNS ?? 15:51  |  Bill 28/08/07
  64.   Walid - what not reminding me where I was born? 15:52  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 28/08/07
  65.   41 Walid 15:52  |  ScotGuy 28/08/07
  66.   dana #20,25 exercises in futility 15:53  |  S 28/08/07
  67.   46 Thanks for the title 15:56  |  ScotGuy 28/08/07
  68.   Dana - causeless hatred 16:00  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 28/08/07
  69.   It all goes back to the beginning 16:02  |  Avrum 28/08/07
  70.   Lynn 16:08  |  Walid 28/08/07
  71.   To Andrew Watson # 18 16:13  |  Sandy 28/08/07
  72.   #49 lynn 16:15  |  E.C. 28/08/07
  73.   Walid re: Natallie Durson 16:19  |  CHGODMK 28/08/07
  74.   To Mr Bradley Burston...what do you spect ?...we are human beings 16:27  |  soldier 28/08/07
  75.   To Lynn #34 - Arabs are no better 16:32  |  An Aran Neighbor 28/08/07
  76.   Reply to Nir in Tel Aviv (Post No. 51) 16:40  |  Johnny Weintraub 28/08/07
  77.   Peace treaties 16:43  |  Murray 28/08/07
  78.   MARGIE IN TEL AVIV 16:45  |  michael 28/08/07
  79.   Margie in Tel Aviv 16:49  |  Walid 28/08/07
  80.