As we all know, nearly all the contents of literary works develop by focusing on conflicts they posses. Those conflicts become the major motivation for the author of the book to establish a stabilized, elaborated background in the context, including the exposition and rising action. The author unfolds the story by creating intriguing commencements. They embrace subordinate events to build up a rational, reasonable but fascinating climax followed with the most extreme conflict. After the characters overcome major conflicts, they reach the state of falling action, and conclude the story by elucidating happy or sad ending. It is amazing in a substantial extent that in the minds of just one person, such stories form an indentation of a hillside, inciting the readers with an enhanced level of plot development. But in any circumstances, no matter how influential the character or the setting of the story is, it is a common sense that the author domineers the story with unstoppable power. Consequently, the author concocts the general conflict and brings such matter to an end all by his/her inclinations.
But what about in the real world? Who will justify and bring resolution to all those infinite conflicts that befall on account of trifling to substantial grounds? There isn’t such existence like an author in a literary work to modulate and verify complications humankinds have provoked from archaic times. The only way to resolute such consequences with tranquil conclusion is the adjustment of humankind themselves. However, this has always been hampered by one of the most disastrous present Zeus has given us from the Pandora’s Box – ambition.
It may somehow seem like a paradox if an element like ambition is treated as the worst present Pandora’s Box has bestowed to mankind, due to the fact that one of the most stifling reason for mankind to develop in various means is ambition. But we must be aware that the natural instinct of humankind does not let ambition stay at its innocent place. It spouses it to expand as greed, competition, and later on – blood.
In human history, countless conflicts and controversies have occurred, and each of those conflicts and controversies apparently depicted the excessive degree of jeopardy humankind maintain. However, I would like to represent one of the most controversial, never-ending disaster humankind has lain which has been continued for over several millenniums – Israel and Palestine conflict.
If one showed at least the subtle ardency to turn on their TVs to news channels, or to read scrap newspapers lying around anywhere, it is almost impossible to be completed isolated about the events of the Israel – Palestine conflict. Some people display irritation due to multitudinous repetition on broadcasting this issue. Unfortunately, people who declare annoyance and apathy on such situation do not realize the consequentiality and truth of this disaster, but declares meaningless resolutions to be acted out. However, it is understandable to some degree that they cry for unconditional resolution of this problem because they do not know the real truth of this circumstance. And not only for these people but also for the people who asserts them as the ‘intelligent’ ones for such occasions, it is, I think, critical to perceive the problem’s reason from the history of it, and compare with current situation.
As we all know, Israel – Palestine conflict has begun from the period when the Israeli Government was established in the region of Palestine after the World War II and due to the domination of substantial quantity in land, Palestinians became homeless. To date this phenomenon a bit more back, Jewish people who came into the Palestinian region in about BC 1500 established the first nation by King David in BC 997. (*Qumsiyeh) However, on account of the Roman invasion in BC 100, they become the possessions of Rome. The Jewish people rebelled and confronted against Rome by rousing the 1st Jews War in AD70 and 2nd Jews War in 135 due to harsh persecutions of Rome. Unfortunately, they failed to take over Roman domination and hence scattered to all around the world. This is called the ‘Diaspora’. Later on, the affiliated Arabs destroy Rome and ,in the 16th century, the Osman Empire took over them, resulting the complex region containing the religion of Jews, Christianity, and Islam. (*Encyclopedia Naver Online)
After the World War I, the Great Britain took over this region and during such circumstances, scattered Jews strongly asserted that their promised lands should be in the lands of Palestine, and that the Zion Mountain was their symbol of nation establishment. This is called the Zionism movement, and it was brought to reality. The British later presents the ‘Belford’ declaration, which was that Britain approves the nation for Jewish peoples in the lands of Palestine. This obviously aroused Palestinians and other co-related Arab countries to rage in anger.
Over four times of Middle East War occurred, and the casualties were abysmal. This is one of the freelance reporter’s experiences from Palestine traveling alone throughout Gaza and the West Bank.
“I saw tragedy and devastation far beyond what was being reported in the American media; I saw communities destroyed, ancient orchards razed, croplands plowed under. I saw children who had been shot in the stomach, in the back, in the head. I saw people convulsing and writhing in pain from a mysterious poison gas that had been lobbed at them; they said it felt like there were knives in their stomach. I still see them. I watched as a mother wept for her small son, and I took pictures of his spilled blood. I watched a son grieve for his mother, killed on her way home from the market on a day that I was told was the Muslim equivalent of the day before Christmas, or Passover, and I thought of my own son, the same age.” (*Weir)
This excerpt show how tragic the circumstance in Palestine is due to the invasion of Israel. However, this disaster must not be treated as just a simple invasion of a country to another. There are more than just ‘invasion’. We must first think of the reason why Jews people are supported with exuberant resources by powerful countries.
First, due to the ‘Belford’ Declaration, the Jews people in America were intrigued with great patriotism. This was the very first, but indirect inclusion of America in the conflict between Palestine and Israel. Later on, America engages in pledges on the premise of justification by the UN. America initially attempts to stay on both sides not to break the parallel stats of the two countries. However, on account of the substantial influences Jews have on America, they tend to lean on the Israeli rather than Palestine. These influences vary from oil, politics, and more over to global prestige. But somehow, it sounds reasonable for America to assist Israel with all their support when America insists on religious factors and the justified attack on Palestine. This intense support is relatively well shown in the announcement of President Bush made on 23rd of May with the Prime Minister ‘Ehud Olmerte’ summit conference. (*Son) “No matter what kind of attack Israel receives, America will bolster Israel in any means.” said President Bush. The Prime Minister Ehud Olmerte replied “I am very satisfied with Pr. Bush’s dialogue. His words were determined and impressive.” Affiliations between America and Israel seem plausible to break. But the real problem lay in this situation is that although the support of America and the attack of Israel seem justified, it is showing some dubious events and phenomena. First is the erroneous broadcasting of the conflicts Israel and Palestine have. It is discovered, for example, that the San Francisco Chronicle had prominently covered 150 percent of Israeli children’s deaths—i.e., many of the deaths were the subject of more than one headline in the paper—and five percent of Palestinian ones.(*Weir) In other words, Palestinian deaths were rarely accorded in headline coverages even once. In the first three and a half months of the current Palestinian uprising against Israel’s continuing confiscation of Palestinian land and suppression of human rights, Israeli forces killed 84 Palestinian children. The largest single cause of their deaths was gunfire to the head. (*American Educational Trust) During this period, not one Israeli child was killed. Not one suicide bombing against Israelis occurred. Of these 84 Palestinian children, only one received headline coverage in the Chronicle – Mohammed al-Durra, the little boy whose murder while he was cowering with his father was recorded for the entire world to see by a French TV crew. But was S.F Chronicle alone in such unbalanced news coverage? No. The National Public Radio (NPR) and the Mercury news, had inaccurately broadcasted the overall casualties of Israelis and Palestinians by the percentage of 75%. This holds cynical, ironical truths behind the veil of America’s infinite antagonistic one of the superpower country because affidavit related to the Israel’s attack on the USS Liberty in 1967revealed that there had been a cover-up at the presidential level – that former President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara had ordered the court to find, despite all evidence to the contrary, Israel innocent of culpability. (*Weir)
Additionally, the democracy hypocrisy against Palestine seems completely controversial. (*Hong) After singing the praises of democracy all over the world, not to mention bombing and killing people in the name of spreading it, the overwhelming win in Palestinian elections by Hamas, which U.S. officials have labeled a terrorist organization, is reminding U.S. officials that democracy sometimes produces results that are not very satisfactory from their own perspective. (*Hornberger) Overall, I find the Palestinians the victims of the uncontrollable, unstoppable pursuit in ambition over various means.
If we were to look at this tragedy into the perspective in the separation of North and South Korea, we apparently find the ambition expanded to sin. To speak in a downright way, I would like to imply North and South Korea as Palestine and the separation itself as Israel and America. First of all, the reason for the separation of Korea would directly be the “Divide & Rule” Policy from mostly America and the Soviet Union. When Japan unconditionally surrendered to the America & Soviet affiliation, on the stipulation of disarmament of Japanese troops, America and Soviet separately dominated halves of Korean peninsula. (*Iosukgm) This geographical separation led to the continuous separation of Korea in the means of economy, politics, and culture. Moreover, some colossal intention in such separation led to numerous disputable concepts about this problem. However, the most consequential factor for this phenomenon is the invaded victims in terms of ‘Everything’. For example, before the initial attack of Israel to Palestine, the major trends in the influx of Israeli were fairly tranquil in the perspective of Palestinians. However, Israeli’s illegal use of opulent American weapons and consistent assaults raged Palestinian’s ethnocentricity and patriotism, which resulted war. South and North Korea’s separation was stipulated by external influences rather than by Korea’s internal conflicts no matter how trivial or important it was. These interventions of external factors I think derive from the unstoppable, calculative ambitions of humankind.
Generally speaking of the two cases, the Israel – Palestine conflict and the following North – South conflict, I think the most influential factors come from external factors. Whether the degree of the effects external factors bestow is colossal or trivial, we must find some resolution to discount disadvantageous or even hazardous effects by focusing on a particular force which could virtually discount the effects. Moreover, to find this element of some existence readily and efficiently, I think we must once again be aware of the positive, but negative potentials human ambition could conclude. If we were to systemize and regulate the ambitions with apt stipulations, I think this method would actually radically enhance such potentials of human ambition. Although it may be impossible to virtually modify the instinct of humankind to dream and hope for larger extents of satisfaction from evil ambitions, it may be possible to control the hastily expanding flood of ambition and hence alleviate mankind’s limitations we must one day face.
Books
Alison, Weir. Censored 2005: The Top 25 Censored Stories. Seven Stories Press. 2004.
Mazin B. Qumsiyeh. Sharing the Land of Canaan: Human Rights and the Israeli-Palestinian Struggle. Pluto Press. 2004.
Periodicals
Je Min, Son. “When Israel is attacked, U.S. will help Israel.” Kyung Yang News 24 May. 2006, sec. 18:66+
Mi Jung, Hong. “Will America truly abandon the Democratization of Middle Asia?” Pressian News 28 August. 2006, sec. 11:32+
Internet Resources
“The History of Israel-Palestine conflict” Encyclopedia Naver Online. NHN Corporations. 15 Sept. 2006
Background of Korea’s Separation. Ed. Iosukgm. 2006. NHN Corp. 15 Sept. 2006
Jacob G. Hornberger. “Democracy, Hypocrisy, and U.S. Foreign Policy”. fff.org. 1 February 2006. The Future of Freedom Foundation. 15 September. 2006 < http://www.fff.org/comment/com0602a.asp>
Remember These Children. 2005. American Educational Trust. 15 Sept. 2006 < http://www.rememberthesechildren.org/index.html>
Links to other sites on the Web
