Opposing views of conflict both have merit

Clive Bibby

Opinion

I have always enjoyed watching Al Jazeera, which provides a diametrically opposing view of the war in Gaza to the one you will find on channels that are more favourably inclined towards the Israeli cause and justification for its response to the October 7th massacre.

I have no problem accepting that there is another version of the truth that backgrounds this disastrous situation where there will be no winners, only losers, and most of those will be innocent women and children.

And l happily acknowledge that if someone is trying to hear and see the version that unapologetically supports the Palestinian cause then Al Jazeera, with its interviews of senior Arab leaders, provides an opportunity to see another side of the story — at least, if you are like me, tending to support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, but open to arguments that see the war from a totally different perspective.

But, because the divisions are so deeply entrenched, and are unfortunately the result of decisions made on behalf of groups other than the two protagonists themselves, it seems very unlikely that a sustainable settlement can be reached that is based on an agreement that is acceptable to both warring factions.

The “two state” solution has been the one promoted ever since the United Nations, in 1947, unilaterally created the fledgling state of Israel on a piece of land that had previously been part of their tribal homeland, but for most of recent history had been occupied by those claiming a heritage of their own — the Palestinians.

However, given that both sides see the other as illegitimate occupiers of land that is rightfully theirs, it would seem pointless trying to broker a solution that neither appears to want.

And given that both sides (particularly the Palestinians) are reliant on continued outside aid for their survival, the prospects for peace seem remote. It has become a case of the two warring factions being only bit players in a game of chess between the super powers of East and West. Where have we heard that one before!

Perhaps more than anything else, the involvement of the big boys on this old battleground is the root cause of why it will continue until the prophesied final battle takes place on the plains of Armageddon.

Moreover, in an area where (in the case of Israel) virtually all neighbours have been, at one time or another, hell-bent on its removal from the face of the Earth, it is difficult to imagine a time or place where both sides would guarantee a commitment to peaceful coexistence. And so it continues and will not end until the region as a whole finds a way to guarantee the rights of both Palestinians and Israelis to live in a homeland without fear of an unprovoked attack on their most vulnerable citizens. Today, that unlikely scenario seems a long way off.

But even if such a deal could be brokered, it would require a commitment from the wider community of nations to police any future agreement impartially, if it is to have any hope of surviving longer than a decade or so — which has been the unfortunate history of this ancient land.

One thing is for sure — nobody has a mortgage on the whole truth these days and the only way we will come to appreciate the validity of opposing views is for us all to read and view the stories from a range of outlets that reliably tell it like it is — not necessarily what we want to see or hear. Watching some Al Jazeera coverage would be a good start for many.