The complete idiot’s guide to Mideast peace – part 219

After the fighting, taking stock of the winners and losers | The Times of Israel

‘Israel dealt Hamas a heavy blow, though it’s unclear how much the terror group suffered. After 29 days of battle, how will the results shake out for Israel, the peace process and the Arab world?’

As regards the ‘losers’ in this recent trial of strength between Palestinians and Israelis, first and foremost must be counted the nearly 2,000 people who died, all of whom lost their lives as a result of this latest installment in the conflict, the longest that’s been around in modern times.

Then there are those who are about to die, the wounded, the injured, the traumatised, the homeless, widows, orphans and so many more in various categories long associated with this and every other type of warfare.

And let’s not forget the financial losses as well, the quite staggering costs of combat these days and the many millions who might have benefited from the redistribution of such vast sums. Had these been funnelled into wars of a different sort, those against hunger, disease, poverty and so forth, then the world might have had more to justify such outlay than streets full of rubble and dead bodies scattered all around.

And what of the ‘winners’? Who gets to pick up the spoils of war? Is there anything left that can still be classified as such? Demolished homes, broken lives and limbs, collapsed tunnels and the ‘enemy’ slightly fewer in number?

A poor return after everyone has paid so high a price.

So, will it ever be possible to increase the return? Or just lower the price? Or do both?

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