This is a war against our humanity
Making us demonise the other
Making us blind to our faults
Justifying crime and revenge
Our humanity is at stake.
We cringe at being called animals
Yet they are superior
They do not go against the will of their creator
They do not commit genocide
Our humanity is at stake
Our ability to see the other in ourselves
Ourselves in the other
Nursed on hate
What a pity- we could have been raised on love
O, the cursed sons and daughters of Abraham
Sacrificed over and over again
How could we have reached this point
So far from what was promised
So far from the light
The kingdom of heaven
What has it brought us
Can it be built on spilt blood
If we plant tomato seeds, we get tomatoes
If we plant war, there can never be peace
It’s a vicious cycle
Look at the war on terror and the terror it’s brought
Listen to the mothers mourning their children
Listen and weep
The kingdom of heaven… How about we make it queendom.
On the bus from Bersheva / Bier al sabe’ to Jerusalem. On the row to my left sat a middle-aged woman with her son of about eight years old. On the row behind them another woman of about the same age, with a son of about the same age. Both mothers were busily caring for their sons in that over-protective Middle Eastern way: unwrapping a sandwich, spreading a napkin, sticking a straw in the carton-box juice or opening a bag of chips. The two boys fell asleep, their heads resting on mama’s laps while she caressed her son’s hair or shoulders.Past the dead sea, everyone began to stir, sending text messages and calling. The two mothers whispered in their phones, revealing their identities as an Arab and a Hebrew. Both mothers loved their sons. The agony of losing a child would hit both of them just the same. One feared the day her son would join the army; the other feared the day her son would be confronted with the army or join the mujahideen.
The militarization of children is a crime, whatever garment it wears. A teenage soldier in the military and a child in al-Qassam brigades. Their leaders use the same tactics. Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Druze and secular children are indoctrinated to mistrust and hate each other, believing that violence and fear are imperative for survival. They are ammunition for the war machine and the ever-prospering weapons industry.
Condemned are the children of Isaac and Ishmael. Condemned.
When will we find each other!
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