“I heard echoes of the Holocaust...”

Today marks the 50th anniversay of the start of the tragic Arab-Israeli 6 Day War.  More than 20,000 Arab soldiers were killed in that brief war– which has resulted in 50 years of “troubles”–  a lifetime of human heartache, seperation and despair.  What if it could have been avoided?

Contrary to accepted political  propganda, we ordinary human beings can never “win”  a war,  any more than we can “win” an earthquake or a flood or a tornado. Unlike  these natural catasrophes, wars can– and someday will– be recognized as absolutely inefficient,  inhumane and fundamentally unnecessary.  And yes,  avoidable.

Here’s an interesting article by an Israeli soldier who now wonders whether his fighting  in that war was necessary.  Old soldiers often  bring us the deep wisdom we need to take the next step towards “no more war forever.”

 “I had been in Israel for just over two years and was nine months into my compulsory military service when war came.I had just received my wings and red beret and achieved a childhood dream of becoming an Israeli paratrooper. Growing up in apartheid South Africa, I had but one goal: to be an Israeli. And now I was preparing to defend a nation even younger than I.

it’s well worth reading the rest of the story here:  I Fought For a Better Israel Than This – POLITICO Magazine