Mark Wignall | Horror and complexities of the Middle East conflict

In 1958, Norman Manley announced a trade ban with apartheid South Africa to take a message to the international community that Jamaica, small and with no real international clout, could, however, stand firm on a strongly held principle. Apartheid was slavery but with spooky science added to it. It was globally unjust.

More than a few other countries hopped on board. Jamaica has come a far way from 1958. But are we any firmer in our resolve, or is it that geopolitical realities require that we reach out for a mess of pottage, hang on to the puppet’s string, and wait on him to dictate the steps and the directions.

Let us first admit one thing. Whichever version of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and the US had grown used to in previous years, that version of him no longer exists. Not that he was, at any time in the past, anyone’s version of even an affectation of virtue.

In the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel, Jamaica was called on to do a little international work, a duty that apparently had hidden negative costs.

A friend of mine who lives in DC and ‘pals around’ with some in the diplomatic services, emailed me last week.

“Recently (last week), there was a vote at the UN on a resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza. Jamaica did not vote. The official reason given by Foreign Minister Johnson was Jamaica was in consultations when the vote occurred. Really?

“That official explanation is truly weak, at best. There was reasonable notice before the vote was taken. The government had ample time to stake out an official position on the resolution. I think Jamaica failed to vote because it was either advised to not vote by the US or the government thought voting for the resolution would upset the US and thus an excuse was crafted to avoid the vote.

“But the US is not always right, and a humanitarian truce is justified. Palestinian women, children, the elderly, infirm and disabled are being slaughtered in large numbers. Some Hamas terrorists may be killed also, but the collateral damage is immense. The carnage must be stopped.”

All students of war and generals know that it is important to have an accurate reading of the mind of the leader as war is fought. Just before the attack by Hamas, Netanyahu was in the process of taking over his country’s judiciary. To give him free rein to do what he wanted. How likely is it that such a man would engage in armed conflict and see women and children and babies and old, sick people as anything other than the casualties of war?

Minister Kamina Johnson Smith is now developing a habit of walking head-first into diplomatic blunders. At the behest of Boris Johnson, she ran all the way to the Commonwealth Secretariat. And sadly tripped and fell down and hardly any were either moved to laugh or cry. We just allowed her to enjoy her most foolish moment. She had too much of the greatness of Norman and Michael on the global stage in her DNA to hinder her from running to the changing room.

WHAT IS HAMMAS’ ENDGAME?

I asked my friend that key question, knowing that in this troubling matter, too many nerves are frayed and every viewpoint is attached to a stubborn counterpoint. So I asked him.

“As for the end game for Hamas, I think they have managed the public relations campaign better than Israel anticipated. Hamas feels that the slaughter going on in Gaza will hurt Israel as social media and technology can instantly show what is happening. The world will become galvanized, and Israel will be searching hard for a diplomatic stance that can be sold on the global stage.

“Israel has every right to defend itself and seek retribution for the attack on Israel, but killing innocent people (children, women, pregnant women, the elderly, the disabled, bombing hospitals) makes Israel no better than Hamas and what Hamas did in Israel, and thus they lose the moral high ground.

“I think Hamas gave more thought to the whole evil idea than Israel is giving them credit for. Israel will win the actual war, but after this is over the whole world may take a different view of the whole conflict, and so in the long run, the Palestinians may gain. This is a tragedy of no mean order. It is horrific.’

‘ENJOYING’ THE EARTHQUAKE

Half an hour after Jamaica’s recent trembler of 5.4, there was hardly any space left in the bars in the Corporate Area. Just about in any cluster of Jamaicans in this island paradise men flocked to the bars to become experts in seismology. Some were even seismic doctors who could prescribe you earthquake pills.

In 1988, the same year that the tyrant Gilbert tore up Jamaica, there was an earthquake that didn’t make the hit parade. The bar was up in Red Hills and was patronised mostly by businessmen, including my bredrin, the late Keith Clarke, whose court case still crawls.

As the bar and the Earth shook, a comical moment happened. As the men inside the bar scampered out, all the men just outside in the parking lot raced in. I was standing right at the door. We all laughed. One man said he had to rush home because he had not kissed his wife in six months.

Last week, the men at the various bars would volunteer, “... last more dan five minutes.” Then one asked me. “I estimated it lasted about three seconds but … .”

For a while, I enjoyed a brief fever dream. The days after Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 had ripped our infrastructure apart while it carried our minds and kindness towards each other. Then we fixed up our houses and headed back to our social enclaves. Bye bye.

- Mark Wignall is a political and public affairs analyst. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and mawigsr@gmail.com.