Amid the recent unfortunate events in Israel and increasingly emboldened illegal occupation, apartheid, and state-sanctioned violence, another elephant in the room stands next to the widespread lack of religious freedom in the Arab world: the Jewish extremism that continually enables amd engages in apologetics for Israel's crimes.
To many secular-minded, rational observers, it is probably not a remotely alien view that the idea of a "holy" or "God-given" land can be extremely instigating, divisive, and tribalistic. This equally applies to Jewish and Muslim fanatics who continue to justify crimes by their respective groups in the name of religion and/or national identity, yet fanatics keep justifying even the most blatant offenses against human rights as has been the case with Israel's recent crimes.
My question is whether peace in the region is possible at all without cultural reform. At this point, I'm inclined to believe that without vocally condemning extremist voices and vigilantly combating their falsehoods, it may well be impossible to achieve and maintain peace. As far as I can see, the instigating, extremist voices that add fuel to the fire are a significant part of the problem--be they Jewish or Muslim--and they need to be countered more heavily if the region is to have any hope of peace.
Discuss.
To many secular-minded, rational observers, it is probably not a remotely alien view that the idea of a "holy" or "God-given" land can be extremely instigating, divisive, and tribalistic. This equally applies to Jewish and Muslim fanatics who continue to justify crimes by their respective groups in the name of religion and/or national identity, yet fanatics keep justifying even the most blatant offenses against human rights as has been the case with Israel's recent crimes.
My question is whether peace in the region is possible at all without cultural reform. At this point, I'm inclined to believe that without vocally condemning extremist voices and vigilantly combating their falsehoods, it may well be impossible to achieve and maintain peace. As far as I can see, the instigating, extremist voices that add fuel to the fire are a significant part of the problem--be they Jewish or Muslim--and they need to be countered more heavily if the region is to have any hope of peace.
Discuss.