Cause & Effect - Lines on Maps

The boundaries of countries have been decided by a combination of historical claims, treaties, wars, colonization, and negotiations. These boundaries can be natural, like rivers or mountains, or artificial lines agreed upon by the nations involved. They are arbitrary & change over time. For example Hungary & Poland lost a lot of territory to Cezchoslovakia & Romania post WW2. Similarly, tribal Africa was remapped by European colonisers, primarily between the 1880s and 1914, with little regard for existing political structures or ethnic boundaries.

The area of Israel & Palestine at the time of Jesus was historically tribal, but was then under Roman rule. God had supposedly given the land of Canaan to the Jews. Scholars today use Canaan as a geopolitical entity corresponding to the modern states of Israel, the West Bank/Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and southern Syria.

 

Palestine was historically part of Canaan, then later included the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. After the Roman conquest, it was known as Judaea, and was later renamed Syria Palaestina. 

So it is complicated. Both Israel & Palestine have a legitimate claim to the land. But the thing is that borders do not exist in the landscape in reality. They are created by people, usually men, with vested interests. They are fluid & change over time. Once we create borders we create conflict & the cycle of fighting for territory begins. It is a male thing. Generally women fight to defend people, not territory.

 

In microcosm we put boundaries around our houses - fences, walls & hedges. We are in effect saying this is mine, keep off unless I invite you in. Land ownership is at the root of class hierarchy, the aristocracy, the middle classes & the working class. Britain is probably still one of the most class ridden societies in the world, apart from India, which has the caste system.

 

The territorial dispute between Israel & Palestine has been ongoing for a very long time. Logic says that there needs to be a negotiated settlement about a 2 state solution. But attitudes on both sides are entrenched. Politics & religious zealotry has mired logical discussion in a morass. So a solution seems a long way off.

 

In the meantime Gaza is almost totally destroyed & the death & injury toll is unacceptable - at least 59,029 people killed and 142,135 wounded. Putin continues to be at war with Ukraine. There is civil war in Sudan, Ethiopia, Myanmar & the Sahel. The rest of the world seems unable to impose logic on anyone.

 

This does not simply affect the warring countries. The impact is worldwide. Peace is in everyone's interest.