The Natural Disaster

As a Palestinian refugee, I always dream of going back to what should be my home and seeing my country for the first time, just like other people who go back home during their holidays to spend time with family and friends. But in my case, it is not possible because of the situation in the Middle East – in particular, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I keep trying to think of ways to solve it, but it's no use. Two nations in one land is a very difficult situation, regardless of who invaded who, or whose land it is… each side would say it is theirs, but that is not the issue I want to discuss here.

What I would like to talk about here is an idea for solving this conflict, an idea that keeps popping up in my head whenever I hear the news of another suicide bombing in Tel Aviv or a new attack on the Gaza strip. This idea would most certainly put an end to the eternal conflict, and in my opinion, it would work. My idea is to have a natural disaster. Think about it! I am not sure if I should call it an "idea" or a "wish". I know it might sound strange or crazy to some people, but why not?!

A hurricane or an earthquake that would destroy villages and cities, and might take a country off the map… people dying, thousands and thousands of homeless and starving, this might be the only solution. It may be the only way for both sides to put their political and religious problems aside and start helping each other instead of fighting and killing each other. It would be an opportunity for them to come together as human beings. What usually happens in catastrophes such as the one I envision is that people draw closer to each other, whoever they happen to be, or wherever they may be from. Skin color and religion cease to be an issue – under the circumstances, everyone is equal, and faces the same destiny whether they want to or not.

Imagine the scenario: the disaster is so massive that no other nations intervene – they leave the Palestinians and the Israelis to solve it on their own. The first step in such crises is usually to announce an emergency government – politics has never yet managed to do this! – and divide the tasks at hand according to each side's abilities. As everyone knows, the Israelis are more skilled in the technological side of things - their air force is a prime example: they would use it to distribute food and rescue everyone involved, Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinians, with the manpower, would search for and evacuate survivors in the field.

The same bulldozers that used to destroy homes and uproot olive trees are now lifting broken walls and removing sand to facilitate searches of buildings the catastrophe has knocked down. The sniffer dogs used to track down bombs in bus stations and identify suicide bombers at checkpoints are now busy sniffing out survivors under the rubble. Doctors and nurses from both nations diligently cooperate in field hospitals set up on land that was – only weeks ago – a war zone. They are oblivious to the nationality of the injured. At any rate, few of the victims are able to speak coherently enough to reveal their ethnicity.

Young and old - mothers with babies, children, seniors – all pray aloud, reading their Qurans and Torahs together, hand in hand, asking God for help in overcoming this disaster. And – who could say? – we might see the Israelis taking down the wall they built to stop suicide bombers so that they could instead distribute aid and offer help to the Palestinians on the other side.

Could this happen? Is it possible? Do we really need a natural disaster to make us see what savages we can be, or how heroic we can be? Would nature cooperate? Could Mother Nature perform the miracle that the United Nations, the USA, even the hippies couldn't? Will we ever see THE MIRACLE? These are questions without answers, but… the answer might come on news, along with a weather report. Wouldn't that be
ironic?

Ahmed Krounz
November 5, 2007