War has erupted once more between the Israelis and the Palestinians after a long lull and, as CNN said, that conflict is headed toward uncharted territory. The war began with an assault by elements of the group Hamas, who fired rockets into Israel and physically entered Israeli territory by land, air and sea. The vaunted Israeli defense was surprised by the breach.
I actually grew up hearing stories about the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. That was when the Palestinians were led by Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Liberation Organization or PLO. Arafat, who passed away years ago, was among those instrumental in brokering the shaky peace that we saw before the Hamas offensive. Reports say that hundreds of people on both sides have died since the war broke out. Some Israelis are still being held hostage and brought by Hamas to the Gaza strip, the territory it controls.
I have always likened this conflict to the one that we see in Mindanao not only because of its religious nature but also because control of territory had something to do with it. We all know how Israel was created in a land the Palestinians claim as their own. I won’t dwell on that one because I must admit I do not possess full knowledge of the ins and outs of the conflict. What worries me more is the plight of overseas Filipino workers or OFWs in the affected areas. And I understand some Filipino nationals are residing in these places.
Filipinos, indeed, are everywhere so that it is to our interest, too, that peace will be restored there as soon as possible. This even if I believe that what leaders can broker there will always be shaky. In Mindanao, for example, after Nur Misuari and his Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF agreed to a ceasefire with the government, the slack was picked up by Hashim Salamat and his Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF. Then when Salamat and the MILF talked with the government, the Abu Sayyaf and other militant groups followed.
Every time, new generations of militants would take over from their elders, ensuring that the cycle of violence will continue. That is why everyone or every leader from both sides should never lower their guard. The analogy is that of water in a pot always being put to a boil by people who feed the fire when the firewood is being used up. Israel was caught by surprise by Hamas like the Americans who were caught by surprise when Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda struck.
We will continue to monitor the developments in Israel and hope that our government will do the same and ensure that Filipinos will be brought back home. However, the sad reality in our version of the diaspora is that despite all efforts by the government, some OFWs would rather be victimized in the places where they are now rather than go home and face an uncertain economic future. But I still would like our fellow Filipinos to come back to safer grounds. They should not risk everything, especially because there is still such a thing as “pressing the restart button.” That is still a better option than risking everything for employment.