Jerusalem is the religious capital of the world and is considered the “biblical holy land” by Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Conflict between Israel and Palestine over who controls Jerusalem, has been fueled by President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to the ancient city, therefore officially recognizing it as the capital of Israel and the religious world.
Although, one could argue that no one really controls Jerusalem, it belongs to God. That being said, Palestine and Israel have the potential to both use Jerusalem as their capital, but only if Palestine rids themselves of hate and violence (perpetuated by their ruler Hamas). If Palestine recognized Israel as a country and removed HAMAS, the two could help each other become rich, independent countries and peace could prevail in the Middle East.
The decision by Trump has not only affected the citizens of Israel and Palestine, but most citizens of the world. Jerusalem’s status as the religious capital of the world (and particularly Israel) means the ultimate fate of the city will impact most everyone. In other words, the realization of peace between Israel and Palestine represents more than peace for those regions, but a movement towards the philosophy of “No Hate, No Violence” for the rest of the world.
As long as Hamas is the political leader of Palestine, however, it seems peace will be a distant hope, much less a real possibility. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government and United Nations, and it has been forcing the very citizens it rules, Palestinian citizens, to riot and protest (to their deaths) at the Israeli border. For example, in a recent conflict, 60 Palestinians (with 1,300 more being injured) were killed. Should Hamas continue to use force and threats to stay in power, citizens will continue to die as collateral damage in events like this, and true negotiations between the two parties are unlikely to occur.
The hate and violence that Hamas practices is bred from the same hate and violence that is perpetuated by other political forces, namely, Iran. President Trump believes this is where our focus should be. I agree. I think we need to put all of our focus on Iran and forget about the Palestinians, for now anyway. Here’s why: Once Iran gives up hate and violence (to the level that they are no longer disrupting neighboring countries and hurting people) other groups like Hamas will follow suit. With Iran’s denuclearization and its support of violent groups diminished, there would be no financial support for terrorists, no conflicts, and peace could begin to prevail in the Middle East. Of course, it will take some time, but the world’s leaders must strive for peace in the Middle East and in other regions (e.g. North Korea). Cutting off the head of the snake, Iran, will help move Israel and Palestine closer to peace.
The United States, for one, needs to step up and take an active role in no longer allowing hate to turn into violence. The U.S and other powerful countries need to stop supporting the people who preach hate and violence by giving them a tax-free place to do it. Anyone who is preaching hate should also not be able to be a tax-free organization. These are steps our leaders can take towards accountability and resolution, and eventually, towards peace.
The U.S. is no stranger to stepping up, as its helped solve a lot of the issues of the world (without firing a single shot no less). If our leaders really put their minds to it, things can be fixed. Of course, the U.S. will be met with opposition and force, but the whole world knows the power of the U.S. military, and they know it’s counter-productive to fight us and our allies.
Other powerful countries like Europe, can and should follow the example of the United States. Europe for instance, should stop thinking about how much money their companies can make in the next two to four years via contracts with Iran. Instead, they need to make peace a priority and re-evaluate what is best for their people. If Iran can be brought to their senses, the EU could make 10 times more money over the next 10 years than they would by trying to go against the United States. What’s more, America and its allies could help Iran become one of the richest countries in the region if they would just put down their guns and give up violence and control.
Hateful and violent groups like Hamas and those supported by Iran don’t care about people, they care about pushing their agenda and spreading their hateful messages. If the powerful countries of the world allow Iran to continue to support these groups and avoid denuclearization, and instead enter into financial agreements with Europe, a door remains open for more hate and violence to spread and closes a door on potentially achieving peace in the Middle East. That is why the world needs to get behind our new ideology, “No Hate, No Violence”!
I would love to hear your thoughts, leave a comment below and let’s discuss!
