Gaza

The situation in Gaza is now beyond horrible.

I have been to Gaza 3 times. Here are my brief reflections:

I was there on the day that the Oslo Peace Accord was signed (1993) and restrictions were lifted. There was dancing in the streets, and everyone roamed about freely.

Later I was there for a water conference with Gazan personnel. Tensions were building. Hamas was organizing.

Response to Thomas Merton’s Letter

I have just read Thomas Merton’s letter to a young activist. Though I am far from a young activist, I found it interesting and have some responses to it. There us some good counsel here. There are however a few things that I would like to elaborate on.

Why I now travel less

I am retired. One would assume that this would be the time to travel and see the world. However, for several reasons, I am now travelling much less than I did before. 

(1) One reason is environmental. George Monbiot spent most of his life analyzing the forthcoming environmental crisis. He then sought to find practical ways to cope with it. For example, when he approached aviation, apart from using more electronic means of communication (phone, Skype, internet) he could see no workable alternative to air travel. To quote him,

When I come to examine aviation, I discover there are simply no effective technological solutions… I am forced to conclude that the only possible answer is a massive reduction in flights (emphasis mine, from “Heat” by George Monbiot, 2006).

Israel – Palestine Conflict: A way forward

It is the world’s perpetual problem and it is in the news again. 

To look at this problem, it is helpful to separate facts from opinion.