At times of conflicts and wars, peace is talked about shyly, sometimes considered a sign of weakens, and tread upon cautiously. The fact remains that peace is a powerful weapon in the face of evil.
Why Peace?
During the periods of prosperity, peace is perceived as both values and virtues societies has to be equipped with, and a vital quality for individuals to be convinced of. But in times of conflicts and war, peace is the weapon to dispel all that causes human sufferings. Thus, in our times now with the mass punishment on Gaza is escalating, the talks about peace is not a luxury but rather a necessity.
The seventy-five-year period of inflicted pain on Gaza people is more than any nation can handle. But the last two weeks in Gaza strip uncovered an unprecedented failure of peace efforts, and showed a clear conflict of ethics to say the least. The mass punishment which the whole world witnessed, reflected a decline in humanity, and increase in the moral evil; the more the efforts are put to restore peace in Gaza, the more humanity suffers, the more the ferocity of war grows.
Peace terrifies evil
The whole world is witnessing not only the breakdown of law and order, but also the violation of human dignity causing the suffering in the concerned societies. In Gaza, civilians are murdered in tens by the minute; residences, schools, churches, mosques, and hospitals are bombed to destruction, to name the least; bloodshed is everywhere.
The war on Gaza is now beyond moral reasoning or legal adjudication. The fear is that if the leaders around the word will not wise up and listen to the voices of reason to put a stop to this conflict, this conflict and the bloodshed would spell over to a wider region, exactly as His Majesty King Abdullah II said, that the conflict “did not begin two weeks ago, and will not stop if we continue down this blood-stained path.”
Jordan’s role
Jordan has been known as the land of peace. The name came not only from the solidarity between the one nation, the Muslims and Christians, and the shared life better referred to as “coexistence”, but also from welcoming and hosting over the years those who have fled the agonies and pains of war, in their homelands, starting from the Armenians, Circassians, Chechens, Palestinians, Iraqis, and Syrians. In addition, the Hashemite custodianship on the holy sites and the commitment to protect Jerusalem is a translation of peace, and at the same time not forgetting the extraordinary and restless efforts His Majesty King Abdullah II has exerted over the years, and continues in promoting human rights, harmony, and peace in both the region and the world, remembering the positive impact worldwide of Amman Message, A Common Word between Us and You, and World Interfaith Harmony Week.
Palestine and Gaza
Jordan has always had a special and strong relationship with the Palestinians. In Gaza, Jordan’s efforts are currently centered on pushing to stop the escalation of war on Gaza for the benefit of the suffering humanity, and trying its best to preventing the war escalation to a wider range. Meanwhile, the two-decade-old Jordanian military Field Hospital continues to provide medical assistance.
On the other hand, Jordan strongly rejected the forced displacement of Gaza people, which stems from perceiving such action as a war crime under the international law.
Restoring human dignity
Her Majesty Queen Rania said, “The context of a nuclear-armed regional superpower that occupies, oppresses, and commits daily documented crimes against Palestinians is missing from the narrative.”
Promoting human dignity on universal level will remain a dream. Thus, in Gaza’s case it is fundamental not only to diminish but strive to bring human sufferings to a stop. Humanity should not give up on peace, neither should the people in the Middle East. We should continue to believe that combined efforts of world leaders will achieve peace which remains the only solution to restoring and maintaining human dignity.
