As the season of goodwill descends upon the world with the countdown to Christmas underway, one wonders whether anyone really expects a sudden turn-around in the current conflicts in different parts of the world.
The wide gulf which separates hope from reality is perhaps the only indicator pointing towards the unfortunate inevitability of “goodwill” being conferred upon some while denied to others.
And since the contemporary era is viewed by a powerful elite as a necessary “clash of civilizations”; this minority group consisting largely the architects of war within the dominant western civilization and adherents of Judeo-Christian traditions, one also wonders whether ordinary outrage by ordinary people is sufficient to cause such war-mongers to retreat from policies responsible for much of the pain and suffering endured by millions.
Does it matter or not that the chief executor of these nefarious policies, who happens to be the current American president and a scion of the Bush dynasty, is a regular churchgoer and will be celebrating Christmas in all its glory?
Or what about his poodle back in Britain?
He has just returned from the “Holy Land” without uttering a word about the unholy siege of Bethlehem and the stranglehold on the Church of Nativity caused by self-defeating Israeli policies which include looting, dispossession and collective punishment!
Surely such conduct which allows an illegal and ugly monstrosity –” aptly called an “apartheid wall” –” to snake its way through land belonging to others, with no regard to the harmful effects visited upon victims, would be in conflict with revered traditions being celebrated at this time.
Indeed, the irreligious significance of his visit has been to put the final touches to yet another breath-taking plot characterized by dishonesty and intrigue in partnership with his Jewish hosts: Coup against Hamas!
Neither the azaan [call to prayer] from al-Aqsa, nor the ringing of bells from the Church of Nativity reached his ears as he plotted with the failed “hero” of Israel’s defeat in Lebanon, Ehud Olmert, on how to impose regime change in the Occupied Territories by stealth.
Blair receives the red-carpet treatment in Jerusalem precisely because his government’s role as co-architect of Palestinian misery and silence on the reason for the absence of Christian pilgrims in the Manger, allows his hosts to continue their genocidal policies against Muslim and Christian Palestinians.
So what if Archbishop Tutu, the nearest thing to a living saint –” as George Galloway describes him –” is denied entry by the Olmert regime to probe the Beit Hanoun massacre on the eve of this season of goodwill?
Tutu, in their opinion is a trouble-shooter and has no business to “preach” and “moralise”. See, they say, we are not racists or anti-black.
We regularly lay out the same red carpet reserved for Bush and Blair for Condoleesa Rice! �
These arguments are reminiscent of the apartheid era in South Africa when during the turbulent eighties; Tutu was maligned in much the same way. And of course, PW Botha and his ilk would also parade black collaborators as proof that apartheid was not racism.
Since it is widely acknowledged that the denial of justice to Palestine is the core of international conflicts, a question which persists is why in the excitement and merrymaking during Christmas, such inhumanity in the birthplace of Jesus is glossed over?
