The reasons behind the protracted struggles of Palestinians and Israelis include deeply-held grievances; ideological hostilities; territorial clashes; power struggles; clashes over wealth distribution, and competing narratives.
These fights are not stationary but rather grow over time into international disputes. The Israel-Palestine conflict is a decades-long battle between two sides who claim exclusive ownership and domination over a piece of land. The two warring factions might not suffer due to the conflict, but innocent people are paying the price. The roots of this go back to the 1917 Balfour Accord when colonizing Britain propelled support for establishing a free Jewish state.
A war that began with the birth of a Jewish state in 1948 has been affecting the lives of ordinary people on both sides. It’s a battle between two aggressively motivated powers, IDF and Hamas, fighting for ‘independence’ and exclusive rights for a piece of land they can call home.
Reconstructive surgeon Christopher Rourke has a keen interest in the ongoing conflict. Rourke believes that innocent Israelis and Palestinians never deserved to become the victims of the chest-thumping activities of powers powered by proxy wars and funding. In his book, Retribution, Rourke depicts war as an ill-fated catastrophe that puts innocent lives at stake.
The author emphasizes that neither Israeli or Palestinian civilians are responsible for the violence. Still, both are stuck in a vicious loop of violence and death that continues to self-perpetuate. They are victims of a war that has only taken away their right to live and prosper.
It is a harsh truth that since the post-world war formation of the United Nations, nothing effective has been done to prevent the conflict. Practical attempts like the Two-State Solution are yet to be put into motion while ordinary humans pay the price. The conflict grows daily, with people suffering and losing their lives on both ends. The cost of living has outweighed the expectations of peace. No household on both ends has not seen the days of bloodshed. The walls have been painted red with innocent blood, and the corridors keep chanting the cry of the innocents.
The lack of solidarity from the international community is a black mark on the face of humanity. Rourke believes bringing Palestinians and Israelis together outside the warring factions is the only solution to stop this war. These seventy-four years of hatred must come to an end. It’s time for people on both sides to step back, look at the carnage, poverty, and suffering, and come together to find pragmatic solutions. Solutions that may not be totally in line with the goals and objectives of the two warring factions but lead to a life of peace, unity, and prosperity for future generations of children. Nothing has been cultivated through the battle fought between the two powers. Rourke believes it’s time for people to join and find their way amid the darkness.
Christopher Rourke encourages people to unite to bring long-lasting amity that can protect them and their children. He emphasizes, “Open your eyes, open your ears… Listen… lest the suffering of your children continues…. Peace be with you….” He pushes the Israeli and Palestinian commons to make a charge and turn their fortunes through solidarity and dialogue.
Rourke’s book is an attempt to allow people to have a closer look at the harsh circumstances. It features accounts that provide a sharp view of the price children, women, and men pay daily. Rourke’s book is a complete compendium of horrors that have resulted due to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The author stresses the need for comprehensive dialogue to end the decades-long turmoil. Retribution is a mirror that jolts commoners to move toward the path of unity. It is a book that pushes readers to ask questions. Questions that have never been put to the table. Finding the answers to the unasked questions is the only to find a path to seek freedom and peace. It’s the only that can guarantee justice for the people who have suffered for way too long. It’s time to synchronize a collective cry for peace that can result in sustainability and triumph for people on both sides.
Retribution is nothing but an attempt to empower people. It’s the light that shows the readers the realities that have been concealed from the public eye. It pushes the readers to understand the cost that every victim of this war bears on their shoulders.
Christopher Rourke is not alone in his cry for peace between Israel and Palestine. But he remains a prominent voice fighting to unite people in the name of love, peace, and collective triumph. Voices like Christopher’s words are nothing but a ray of sunshine in a valley where darkness, blood, and hopelessness wander every day, taking away the right to live and thrive.
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