It is day 19 of this p-r-o-l-o-n-g-e-d Federal Government Shutdown. Not working and having plenty of time on my hands today, I am debating which is actually easier to solve–the government shutdown or peace in the Middle East.
These issues actually have a lot in common:
– Both are intractable problems – The Palestinians have not accepted Israel for over 70-years of its existence and have turned down all prior offers for a solution; and by Saturday, this may become the longest government shutdown in U.S. history with everyone dug-in and uncompromising.
– Both have two sides to the equation – Republicans and Democrats here, and Israelis and the Palestinians there–and there is definitely enough hostility to go around and perhaps plenty of it for good reasons.
– Both involve borders – the Southern Border in America, and safe and secure borders for Israel.
– Both involve the sovereignty of the nations – For America, being able to control its immigration and flow of dangerous drugs and guns, human trafficking, illegal immigrants, and terrorists; and for Israel, the fundamental recognition as the Jewish homeland.
– Both require a solution that will bring peace and security for their countries – here, the extreme and growing polarization has some calling it an undeclared Civil War, and in Israel, they face existential security threats that must be duly resolved.
– Both issues have no end in sight.
If these issues have this much in common, my fear is that if we have to wait for Mashiach for there to be a true peace in the Middle East, will we have to wait for his coming for the end of the government shutdown as well?
