Kids on a Playground

Source: elmer.ca

Imagine a group of kids playing on a playground. They're playing on the swings and throwing themselves down on to a slide. They're enjoying themselves - occasionally getting in some childish fights of course, but enjoying themselves nonetheless.

Then come the big kids.

These huge, troll-like 5th graders approach the playground, snapping their fingers like the Sharks from West Side Story. The frightened little ones cower at the sight of them, and when the big kids start throwing rocks at them, they scatter and run away as fast as their little legs can take them. The big kids just laugh and settle in the playground.

The little kids who ran away, tired and scattered, go to other playgrounds to play. But the kids who were already there don't seem to like them very much. Some of them even try to label them with weird yellow stickers and ignore them. The little kids, now calling themselves the "Z"s,  begin to miss their old playground. It was the perfect playground for them, a playground that didn't have people who disliked them, a playground where they could be with all their friends and only their friends. Many of their old buddies were now hanging out in the other playgrounds, but they didn't seem to fit in either. So after the longest time, the old group come together again, and begin to walk towards their beloved old playground.

By this time the big kids had long since left, having been forced away by an army of little kids with moon and star designs on their shirts. When the Zs reach the playground, they stop at the edges, the air tense and nervous. Then the oldest of them, David, marches into the playground and yell "WE'RE BACK!!!" The others cheer, and run to their old swings and monkey bars. They're finally back together - a happy family.

But in their joy and excitement they forget one thing: there were other kids there. Some of the kids who had originally forced the big kids away had stayed there afterwards. They were few, but they were still there with their star and moon t-shirts, and they had been playing on that playground for what seemed to them like forever. So naturally, they didn't like all these new faces occupying their playground. They start arguing with the intruders, but the Zs didn't seem to listen. The Zs said that the playground had been theirs for ages, and swore never to lose it again. The other kids, calling themselves the "Stars",  said that the playground had been theirs for ages, and swore never to give it up. So what happens next? Naturally, they call each other liars and call each other names. When someone finally lets out the S-word ("Shut up!"), they start throwing their cute little fists at each other. The Stars even call their friends nearby for help, but the Zs stand strong. Both groups pound each other with fists, throw rocks, and even spit on each other.

At this point you'd expect the grown-ups to show up, break up the fight, and force them to talk to each other in a civilized manner. But in this world of playgrounds, there are no grown-ups - only children.

This is basically what forms the gist of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The "Z"s are the Israelis, who were exiled from their homeland (the playground) after the Romans (the Big Kids) conquered it. The Jews were scattered far and wide across the Middle East and Europe (the other playgrounds). Meanwhile, the Byzantine Empire, the replacements for the Romans, was forced out of Jerusalem by the Islamic Caliphate army (the "Stars"). As time passed, Jews longed for their homeland, especially with the rise of anti-semitism. Eventually, the Zionist movement was formed, comprised of Jews who wanted to return to their homeland and establish a national Jewish home. By this time Arabs were living in the Holy Land, now called Palestine. When Britain was given a mandate of Palestine after WWI, they started allowing Jewish immigration into the land, while trying not to make the Arab residents angry. All seemed to be in vain, however, when in 1948 the Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion ("David" from the scenario above) formally declared the independence of the state of Israel. The surrounding Arab countries immediately invaded the land but the Israelis held out with their lives. In the real world, there are no adult figures to put a definite stop to a fight. Sixty three years later, this fight is very much still ongoing.

International politics can always be explained by comparing it to kids on a playground. Is my analogy perfect? No. Is it offensive towards two of the biggest religions in the world? Probably. But considering it's dealing with one of the most complicated issues in the world, it's good as an analogy gets. One thing speaks perfectly loud and clear though: people need to grow up and listen to each other.