Middle East

Eyes On the Prize

Well,

even if 

the Nobel’s

the sell,

let’s make

a deal

that’s finally

real.

No one denies

his eyes

on that prize

as a motivator

to broker

a peace

deal.

I feel 

potential relief

and cautious

belief

that the bad

guys

who strong

arm 

and justify

real harm

may begin

to end

this two-year

war.

The exchange

of each prisoner

for each hostage

remain

is the main-

stay of the 

first part 

of the deal.

The real

test for peace

in the mideast

will be in

the rest

of the 20-

point plan.

For each

Palestinian

and Israeli,

this war

has been

torture

for 2 years

daily,

while the

world

has watched

in horror,

appalled,

until the bad

guys called

for a peace plan.

I think 

of Ireland.

It seemed

unbelievable.

So too,

Palestine

and Israel.

It’s certainly

possible,

when the bad

guys

prioritize

peace,

with their

eyes 

on the prize.

Remains to be Seen

The release

of remains

was made

by Hamas

of Shiri Bibas

33,

and her sons,

Ariel 

who was 4

and Kfir 

who was

nine months old,

we are told,

at the time of their

capture.

Also released

among the dead,

was Oded 

Lifshitz, 84.

All were

taken hostage

on 

that day 

of carnage,

October 7th

2023.

Hamas maintains

that the remains

were from

them being 

killed

in Israeli

air strikes

during 

the Gaza War.

Shiri’s husband,

Yarden,

was let go

a few weeks

ago,

alive,

but the rest

of his family

did not

survive. 

Oded Lifshitz,

a retired

journalist

who volunteered

with 

Road to Recovery,

drove 

Palestinians

who were

not citizens

to hospital 

appointments

in Israel

and the West 

Bank.

The wife

of Oded,

Yocheved,

was also 

in captivity,

and freed

after

about two

weeks.

Throughout

the war,

the symbol

of the hostage

struggle

in Israel

was found

in the photo

posted

all around

the country.

The young

family

with the

red head

tots

generated 

lots

of anguish 

and anger,

but also

hope

for a return

home.

The remains

of the day

today

will be seen

by forensic

pathologists

to identify

them.

But the pathology

remains.

Gaza 

won’t be

a Trump 

Plaza.

It’s the hate

that lives

after

the remains

are returned

home.

It remains

to be seen

how much

will get

buried. 

All Kidding/Assad

I’m in 

no position

to comment

on the transition

away

from the al-Assad

family

reign

in Syria.

The criteria 

for hope

is the scope

and sequence

of events

that unfold

as the yet

to be told

story 

of glory

of the rebels’

new power.

As of this

hour,

instead

of al-Assad

at the head

or jihad

far behind,

it’s not

quite clear

what we’re

in for.

The most

uncivil

war

that Syrians

endured

(or didn’t)

isn’t

going

to yield

instant

peace.

Every

ecosystem

is diverse.

So the perverse

use

of force

to endorse

an exclusionary

coarse

is of course

problematic-

not just 

for the 

tragic

victims

of violence,

but the silence

within which

those who

manage

to survive

barely

alive,

can not 

thrive

in oppressive

conditions.

Regressive

politicians

are having

their moment

to foment

and reorient

away

from the mainstay

of the postwar

order.

Chaos

is king.

No kidding.

Shooting

someone

on 5th 

(actually, 6th)

Avenue

came true,

and the

cheering 

and snark

and generally

dark

comments

mocking

what should

be a shocking

and sad

event

meant

that we

are losing

perspective

with invective.

Assad

was a nightmare;

the very

defintion

of evil.

I’m glad 

he’s gone

but this 

does not

feel like

the dawn

of a new 

day.

Those

inured

to the injured

or murdered

concerns

me.

Who are we

kidding?

Killing

doesn’t justify.

No one 

should die

to make

a point.

History Lessens

History lessens

the exclusivity

of now.

What seems

unique

is really 

a tweak

of actions

of factions, 

reactions,

and distractions

that humans

do 

to

each

other.

This October

surprise

attack

by Hamas

upon Israelis

shocked

and horrified

in scope

and scale;

each

detail

grotesque.

Historical

comparisons

to 9/11,

’73,

and even

The Holocaust;

to Nazis

and Isis—

the ultimate

barbarism—

casts Hamas

among

other

embodiments

of pure

evil. 

From eternity

to here,

history

does not

lessen

the reality

of evil

of humans.

We like

to think

we progress,

and we do.

We like

to think

we are more

sophisticated

than our

ancestors,

yet

history

proves

to be

more complex,

with effects

that traumatize

and catalyze.

History

must 

humanize.

It is

the story

of humans,

sometimes

beyond

comprehension.

But that

is the

task

that history

asks.

We like

to think

we are

different

and less

naive

than our

predecessors.

But even

our successors

will have

or 

will be

aggressors

or oppressors,

and certainly

transgressors,

because

humans

have such

capacities.

Forgetting

the lessons

of history—

human

actions 

and 

reactions—

lessens

the ability

to strengthen

stability.

Fundamentally,

fundamentalism

lessens—

a lesson

learned

from history.

The progress

and ideas

of accessibility,

diversity, 

and inclusivity

that make

the present

feel

like sustainability,

become

thwarted,

distorted,

supported,

and exported

by extremists

who are

zombies

of history,

trying

to lessen

the inevitability

of time

and evolution.

I still

hope

for all

humanity

that sanity

will prevail

and we 

can exhale

while learning

the lessons

now.

Heart Attack

Teens

at a rave

sprayed

with bullets

in a wave

of gunfire

before

hostage 

taking

of babies

to old

ladies,

making

this 

the most

brazen

invasion

on the

occasion

of 50 years

plus 

a day

since 

another

surprise

attack.

The malevolence

and violence

which is now

inheritance

justifies

nothing.

Failures 

of intelligence

or negligence

without

precedence

is as shocking

as this 

perversion

of nationalism

or whatever 

it’s supposed

to be. 

My heart

hurts.

I ache 

for

humanity.