Thank goodness for peace

 Thank goodness for peace.

It may not be set in stone but all the signs are pointing in the right direction. The news filtering through from the Middle East is that Israel has declared a ceasefire in the war against Lebanon and Hezbollah. Now the truth is that at the moment the longevity of any peace settlement between Israel and its adversaries is always fraught with uncertainty such is the nature of the long standing hatred that still exists in some of the territories. 

But after a long and torturous conflict, often explosive and deadly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, so heavily criticised and maligned by those who can barely tolerate him any longer, has made the boldest and bravest decision of his life. Over a year after the first outrageous and hideous attack on Israel on Hamas, Israel has decided that the main enemies have been eliminated and the leaders of both Hamas and Hezbollah are dead and no can longer cause any widespread pain and torment. 

These are encouraging developments since Jews across the globe have been patiently waiting and hoping that one day both Hamas and Hezbollah would come to their senses. Somebody had to knock something into their collective brains because nothing else seemed to be working. War will always leave collateral damage on all humanity and the enduring images of the last year or so have not made for edifying viewing. To the outside observers, it has been the continuous horror show that must have left most of us cold and stunned. There have been attacks and counter- attacks, reprisals and counter- reprisals. 

And yet finally the monumental death toll has been considered more than sufficient for peace in our time. The casualties and fatalities were bloody, distressing, almost too much for the mind to take in. But then we remembered the children, the innocent ones, the next generation who were never consulted over a year ago and the almost silent minority who were helplessly caught up in the unadulterated violence and murder.

So we clasped our hands together in blessed relief, looked to a place deep within us and begged for a permanent truce, a peaceful and amicable solution to this sorry, terrible war of words and minds. And yet scepticism continues to live in our innermost thoughts because we have been here before on innumerable occasions. Hamas promises never to lift another finger in anger because, suddenly, they've been cast as the victims of circumstances, the relentless punch bag for some battle that they must have felt had nothing to do with them. How foolish and delusional they must have been. 

But the evidence was there for all to see. Last year, on October 7th, huge consignments of arms, guns, bombs and abundant ammunition to last several years, were stocked together by Hamas. It was the sacred Jewish festival of Simchat Torah and evil was brewing. Mass squadrons of Hamas terrorists and soldiers prepared themselves for the most disgraceful attack on Israel and civil liberties. What followed was a despicable violation of any law in the land. 

After leaving the Nova music Festival in Israel, thousands of Israeli youngsters streamed away happily, euphoric and full of joy. Suddenly, terrorism reared its ugly head. Turning around in their cars, they panicked and then screamed with agony. Shots were fired indiscriminately at concert goers who were just there to share the beauty of togetherness and happiness. The bullets and bombs were dropping in massive clusters and over 1,500 Israelis died because they were Jewish and had to be wiped out, obliterated from existence. 

To say this was the most shameful and reprehensible act of murderous brutality the Israelis had witnessed for quite a while would be a gross understatement. A recent TV documentary showed the depressing aftermath of that one day. Teenagers were weeping, desperately crying for mercy. They ran for their lives, jumping into building skips, behind shelters, cowering with naked fear and understandably petrified. And then we saw the less fortunate ones, the ones who didn't escape, lying lifeless on the ground, killed because they adhered to the wrong religious principles. In other words, they were Jewish and Hamas just wanted to get rid of the global Jewish population. 

We have now become, more or less desensitised to war, conditioned to its senseless bloodshed and incomprehensible savageries. We look at the evening news now through closed eyes, heads held in shame and speechless since words have become superfluous. But yesterday and the day before, it felt good to be a human being, relieved of the necessity to worry and sympathise and we could sleep easy in our beds knowing that, for the time being, the Middle East is quiet and slowly returning to normality. 

For some of us the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the Six Day War in 1967 are still firmly lodged in our subconscious or quite clearly in others. We remember the dramatic news broadcast from legendary sports presenter David Coleman when Coleman skilfully described the frightening events of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. One morning, 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage in the Olympic village and killed without any provocation. Or maybe they were murdered because they were Jewish. 

To all Jews who have suffered such unforgivable persecution and vilification over the years, it never gets any easier. We now have a cessation of hostilities, a recognition that enough is enough. There is a feeling that eventually some modicum of commonsense will penetrate the minds and combined forces of Hamas and Hezbollah.

We have now assurances from US President Joe Biden that civilised debate will ensue, that intelligence will intervene and a welcome reconciliation will be thrashed out over a hearty lunch.There are vitally important issues of trust and confidence to be negotiated. We must believe in the sometimes mealy mouthed rhetoric from Hamas and Hezbollah but surely there has to be a realisation that too many lives have now been lost and any more lethal ammunition of any description would be asking for more trouble. 

So the world, although comforted by the knowledge that one war has now been seemingly settled, another theatre is still watching another pointless drama. In Ukraine, lives are still being lost as Russian tyrant and dicator Vladimir Putin continues to create hellish havoc with neighbours he simply detests. This is one nasty, dirty and catastrophic war, laced with poison and revulsion of the enemy. But Putin keeps losing his temper, eyes blazing with fury and determined to get his way. We can only hope that one day he plucks up the courage and apologises but we hardly think this is possible in anybody's lifetime. 

But in the Middle East this morning, the vast plumes of mushrooming smoke pouring from demolished homes and buildings, are now clearing. Beirut is still a gory battleground and, in retrospect, always has been while Gaza clears the smoke from their faces and shovels away the devastation. It may be ages before a full recovery is complete although time, as we know, is still a great healer. 

We will once again pray for lasting harmony and goodwill. We still believe in the goodness and humanity of the human race because this is the only way. In Israel this morning, they'll be toasting this ceasefire with a stirring rendition of Hava Negilla, a celebration to last a lifetime. This Shabbat and sabbath weekend, they'll be gathering by the Wall in Jerusalem and singing to life to life L'Chayim.