Celebrating Baby Steps
(To see the earlier Blogs, Page Down)
Earlier this week I posted on Facebook, joy concerning the peace proposition in the Middle East, good news for the world. Several readers responded with an opposing viewpoint. “It hasn’t actually happened”; “Palestine hasn’t agreed;” one said it was a scam to take the focus off the impeachment proceedings; another said if it was good for Israel and Palestine, it was bad for America. One said I shouldn’t wear red! I deleted the posting, not because I’m opposed to differing opinions, but because tension was building in the comments. What started out as sharing relative joy over a positive step toward peace negotiations, was turning into a smack fest.
I had the distinct feeling that some commenters hadn’t actually heard the President’s proposal. Many Americans didn’t hear it streamed. I find it appalling that something this important wasn’t carried by news media. One of the commenters asked why I thought this was so important?
If you are “around” my age, give or take, you’ve been “praying for peace in the Middle East” your entire life. You, like me, may have started those prayers before you even knew where the Middle East was! There have been many overtures, 50s, 60s, 70s and on, that all failed.
This is the first proposal ever that has treated the Palestinians with dignity. It’s the first proposal that has given them a reason to come to the table to negotiate. It’s no secret, the Palestinian government hates the United States. But the people are tired of their lifetime of war and the poverty that follows it like a shadow in the sands of time. Every country in the Middle East is onboard with this, believing it’s fair, just, and worthy of negotiation. They are urging Palestine to come to the table. This proposal, three years in the making, puts a lot on the table for Palestine, who only needs to end terrorism and respect neighbors’ borders. It is the first to ever offer them a fair share of the pie.
The reader who asked why I should be happy about this since “nothing has really happened,” may have a point, but consider this. Something has happened: Palestine and Israel are closer to the table than they’ve ever been. It’s a baby step, but it’s a step. No one knows what will happen. Will they come, sit, talk, agree? Who knows? But there is reason for hope and that’s a small step to securing a dream.
And in case you haven’t heard: Nancy Pelosi, who hates President Trump sharing her planet, has stated to the press that this proposal is “a very good beginning.”
We need to continue our life-long prayer for peace for the people in the Middle East, but I also think we should acknowledge that this is a huge step toward that peace. Applaud the baby step!