Reading Andrew Sullivan’s condemnation of the far-left and far-right for going anti-Semitic, following the incendiary invasion of Israel, with its attendant mass murder and kidnapping of civilians, by Hamas, then in control of Gaza, left me gloomy. Don’t get me wrong: Hamas’ actions, whether taken in a supposed defense of Gaza or, as mooted about in AL-Monitor and other publications, an attempt to break up an imminent rapprochement between Israel and its adversaries, such as Saudi Arabia, certainly constitutes a pure, distilled evil.
But for years, even decades, the activities of Israeli settlers, slowly pushing Muslims out of their long-held homes, has been unsettling as well. Indeed, the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, a leading figure in the Oslo Accords, thought to be leading to a two-state solution, by a far-right Jewish Israeli, might be considered a signal clue as to the arrogance and, yes, evil that may exist is Israel.
For those readers who may be thinking that I hardly know what I speak of, you’re quite right. The events of the Middle East since the establishment of Israel following World War II by, or at least with the backing of the Allies, as led by David Ben-Gurion, have been curious, even to those conversant with the various religions active in the area; for an agnostic with only a passing interest, the claims, the maneuvering, the actions can all be downright puzzling.
But tonight it occurs to me to take a step back while thinking about the motivations of both sides. The extremists on each have amply demonstrated their extremists’ belief in a Divinity, some sort of force that represents good.
And we know that thinking you are part of a tradition of a Divinity can often lead those in that tradition to think their actions, grim as they may be, are sanctified. Certainly, the more mature individuals will recognize the fallacy; but many do not. They believe in God, they believe the rules only apply to their interactions with others in the tradition, and outside of that tradition?
Much anything goes.
And so we see one of the dangers of believing in a divinity: an illusion of the sanctification of some of the worst, most disgusting actions of human kind. All because of a belief that the Divine favors the perpetrator.
It’s something I’ll be keeping in mind in the future. And it helps explain my gloominess at understanding this situation.
