‘And Alexander wept because he had no more worlds to conquer’

With all this recent flurry of diplomatic activity and efforts to get peace talks going between Israelis and Palestinians, there does seem to exist a rather overdeveloped concern that these negotiations should take place as soon as possible. Yet forcing the issue in such a manner may not be the best way to deal with the subject.

Negotiations can work out well when there is something to negotiate about. But, after 65 years of conflict, debate, discussion and a phenomenal investment of time, money and material assistance, nothing even approaching constructive dialogue let alone final status in this matter has ever really surfaced. Getting to the negotiation stage itself is fraught with difficulty; the whole thing resembles a later-day version of the Gordian Knot, a task having neither a beginning nor a comprehensible end.

There again, there was that technique used by Alexander the Great many centuries ago. Although somewhat unorthodox and certainly not very sporting, it did unlock the mysterious knot in almost no time at all. Perhaps a modern-day version of his method could release us all from much of the complexities surrounding this Israeli-Palestinian puzzle.

www.laxiankey.com

‘And Alexander wept because he had no more worlds to conquer.’

It seems there are still one or two places left where conquest has been well overdue and, if not for centuries, then certainly for decades.