The worst part of the Palestine-Israel conflict is the suffering and loss of life of the innocent. The closure of war has not yet come, and it seems that none of the current solutions can prevent further escalation.
On May 14th, 1948, the State of Israel was created, sparking the first Arab-Israeli war. After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel gained total control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, East and West Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. A bloody conflict began and has continued to rage for over seventy years. Most Palestinian and Israeli people want peace.
The most catastrophic consequence of the conflict is the cost of human lives on both sides. The numbers are staggering. Between 1987 and 2021, the conflict claimed 13,969 lives, 87% of which were Palestinian.
The psychological impact of the brutal war remains a matter of deep concern. Palestinian and Israeli civilians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have shown signs of multiple psychological disorders, including PTSD, separation anxiety, and depression. The exchange of rockets and gunfire between the two factions has left the common people in fear, distress, and poverty.
It is safe to say that the conflict is causing physical and psychological damage to people who have nothing to do with it. Every day, innocent men, women, and children face challenges that have turned their lives into a battle. The cost of survival these people pay pushes them away from life’s basic necessities and joys.
Depicting the horrors of war, reconstructive surgeon Christopher Rourke narrates a fictional tale of the suffering of innocent Israelis and Palestinians in the never-ending conflict between Israel and Hamas. It’s a fictional account that offers readers a glimpse of the harsh reality. Rourke’s book brings the atrocities that have made the Israeli and Palestinian lives nothing less than a horrifying dream.
The book Retribution carries multiple accounts, too close to reality, that act as mirrors showcasing harsh present-day horrors. War, greed-driven agendas, nightmares, and collateral damage come together in this moving literary masterpiece. Terror attacks and reprisals are portrayed in real-time and show the resultant horror, poverty, and instability felt by both the Israeli and Palestinian people.
Christopher Rourke effortlessly portrays the humanized face of the ongoing conflict, ensuring neutrality while championing his goal for global peace. He maintains an excellent balance and depicts a conflict where suffering is a shared phenomenon. Everyone affected by the ongoing war is the victim of circumstances. They are paying the price for something they didn’t choose to be a part of.
The worsening conflict between the two sides is more than a war between religions and narratives. It’s a series of unfortunate atrocities that have affected innocent people on both sides in unimaginable ways. Unfortunately, despite global peacekeeping efforts from the U.N. and other neutral countries, no end is in sight. In the author’s own words;
“This conflict has persisted since and even before my birth. Despite political action on the world stage, the conflict continues, and the suffering and loss of life remain high on both sides. Obviously, the ‘strategy for peace’ is not working.” He added, “Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome. By definition, what has been occurring since 1948 can be defined as insanity. It is shameful that innocent people suffer the most. Looking through the hourglass, Abraham himself would cry a tear as “the promise,” the “sands of the sea” continuously cover themselves in blood.”
Raising children in an environment of hate is fundamentally wrong and not condoned or taught in any religion. Displacement with occupation has only, and will only, lead to generations of suffering, hatred, and fear. Educating children to understand the fundamental differences in culture and religion and to respect those differences is the only way to lead to peace for future generations.
“A peaceful solution is not in the hands of the Israeli government, Hamas, or other militant factions. It is not dependent upon the power brokers of the United States, whose policies and dictums shift with control of the White House. The solution remains in the hands of the Palestinian and Israeli people… those that live their daily lives in fear and want…. the ordinary people… whose collective voice, when bonded together, can rise above the drums of war and terror… stem the tide of bloodshed… and walk a path of peace and understanding. Unity…brother to brother… for a common peace… is the only way. The Old Testament, New Testament, Tanakh, and Quran, when taken “in context,” all preach one thing…Peace…. Open your eyes, open your ears… Listen… lest the suffering of your children continues…. Peace be with you….” Christopher Rourke.
