On the Thinker

What was the result of this recent escalation of violence? More than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed. Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, mosques were attacked, a UN school was bombed, and many lives were ruined. It is unlikely that this event will bring the two sides any closer toward an agreement for peace. Rather than initiate a blame-game, I think it is more useful to point out the persistent problem in this conflict; that the Palestinian people do not speak with one voice.

The official representative of the Palestinian people in their territories is the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), of which the Palestinian Authority is a subsidiary. The PLO was established after the 1993 Oslo Accords and is based in the West Bank. In 2006, a group of radical Palestinians known as Hamas won elections in one of the Palestinian territories, the Gaza Strip. Hamas gained popularity by building schools and hospitals in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is described as a terrorist organization by the United States, the EU, Canada, Israel, and Japan. In 2007, Israel withdrew its forces from the Gaza Strip as a gesture to get negotiations going again, though it kept some restrictions such as jurisdiction over air space. Hamas was now fully in control. Hamas has not recognize Israel (like the PLO does) and calls the PLO, Fatah (the largest political party of the PLO), and the late Yasser Arafat (chairman of the PLO) betrayers of the Palestinian cause. This division between the Palestinian people in two camps makes negotiation with Israel near impossible.

Since the takeover by Hamas, Israel closed its border with Gaza and the militant organization has been caught smuggling explosives and arms from Egypt through tunnels. This has caused Egypt to close its border with Gaza as well. Amnesty International has reported that Hamas has trampled upon many civil liberties by closing down newspapers, harassing journalists, and forbidding peaceful demonstrations. It is important to note that Hamas is supported by Syria and Iran, and possibly funded and trained by the latter. Also, there is a militant wing of Hamas that arguably acts independently of Hamas at times. This group is known as the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and is the only polity within Hamas that Australia and the UK designate as terrorists. Lastly, it should be noted that there are also some radical elements within Israel who would like to see Hamas destroyed.

The record shows that Hamas militants have fired hundreds of home-made Qassam rockets from the Strip into Israeli towns, causing massive destruction to Israeli property and killing some Israelis. Hamas claims these attacks were warranted because Israel was planning to attack Gaza and because Israel halted humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. There is no evidence to definitively prove which violation of the Geneva Conventions came first, but many believe Hamas initiated attacks on Israel. Israel has responded by periodically cutting fuel and electricity to Gaza. In January of 2008, Hamas breached the Gaza-Egyptian border. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was faced with hundreds of thousands of Gazans seeking food and supplies. The border was eventually sealed again after minor violence between Egyptian forces and Hamas militants.

More recently, Israel began to attack targets in Gaza with F-16 fighters as rocket attacks into Israel intensified. There is no doubt that both sides have committed atrocious acts in the fighting, with Hamas hiding weapons in schools and Israel bombing them. In some cases, many Palestinian children were killed and no weapons were found in the schools bombed. The conflict boils down to Hamas launching rockets into Israel because it denounces Israel's existence, Israel blocking some humanitarian aid into Gaza along with the UN for fear of attack, the Palestinians in Gaza collectively suffering because of all of this, and Hamas using this suffering as a vehicle for further rocket attacks. The humanitarian suffering in Gaza is real and has caused tensions between the legitimate PLO and Israel as well as between Israel and the international community.

For a cease-fire to last and negotiations to really begin, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and leaders of Hamas need to reconcile their differences. With one voice, Palestinian leaders and Israelis can meet to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Gaza while keeping Israel safe from further attacks.

It is remarkable to me how many themes of past inaugural addresses are relevant to the address we all heard on January 20, 2009. President Obama spoke to our economic fears in much the same way they were spoken to in 1933 by FDR. He called Americans to action and sacrifice in the same way we were called by JFK in 1961. He called for renewal of our strength and courage against those who would oppose freedom and liberty much like Ronald Reagan did in 1981. Yet, many have remarked that Obama's inaugural lacked a notable "one-liner" and that it did not match up well against his past speeches. Personally, I think a president's inaugural cannot be judged so quickly. What might look to some like bland rhetoric may in time prove to be words worthy of remembrance. After all, FDR led us out of depression with massive government spending and the industry of world war. We answered JFK's call to action by joining the Peace Core and sending Neil Armstrong to the moon in 1969. The effectiveness of President Obama's inaugural will likely be known within his first 100 days. Can he translate the millions of voices for change into millions of actions for change?

Over the last few weeks, the then president-elect has been downplaying the expectations from his first term of office, perhaps fearing that he has been put on a pedestal by the media and the general public. He has noted that change could take months and even years, and the Reverend Gene Robinson reminded us that he is not the messiah at Mr. Obama's "We Are One" concert. From the economic meltdown to the foreign policy front, including restoring our image abroad, President Obama certainly has his work cut out for him. Let's hope that he can deliver the change we need in this time of great uncertainty.

One of my favorite quotes comes from the Spanish author and philosopher George Santayana. In the first volume of "The Life of Reason," he remarks, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This simple, yet profound reasoning has arguably never been more pertinent to society than it is today. Before I jump into that, however, let me say a little about my motivation for writing.

I decided to begin this blog partly because of my continued interest in and study of history and political science, but also because I hope to interest others in these disciplines. My blog will examine volition as it both shapes and makes history. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, volition is "an act of making a choice or decision." Choices always precede actions, and actions are a force of history. Since human beings are generally rational and able to make choices, our volition empowers us to make history.

In my experience, many average people find history and politics especially distasteful. Many form opinions without first examining the issues, and even more remain complacent with and ignorant of them. True, world events or political scandals may seem trivial and irrelevant at times to the happenings of daily life. But in this time, a time many have dubbed "a defining moment," the words of Santayana seem more prevalent to me than ever. In order to change the course of the future, we must understand the past.

In closing, I want to say a few words in my own defense about this blog. My opinions, beliefs, and occasional satire are meant to stir up spirited debate and galvanize support or criticism. I have listened to enough political commentators, analysts, and professors to understand that any opinion will come under scrutiny. For this reason, I intend to avoid generalizing when discussing matters on which I have opinions.