Hey friends! Today was a day of revamped plans and flexibility due to the rain that arrived overnight cancelled our plans to tour a specific mountain with ruins on it; therefore, we travelled to the quaint village of San Ignacio which is a short drive from where we are staying in Succotz. When I arrived in San Ignacio, I found myself drawing comparisons and differences to other small towns that I have visited in various countries around the world such as Cartagena, Tavira (Portugal), Durham (UK). For me, San Ignacio felt very relaxed, yet it had a bustling atmosphere as there were many different shops and stalls to wander into and to explore for trinkets and goods for people back at home. The thing that struck me the most was how friendly the people in the town were. When I walked into one particular place, Janie and I struck up a conversation with the shopkeeper--and she didn't attempt to pressure us to buy anything at all--which I found to be a refreshing change from the consumer society that exists within the Western World. It has struck me often times that the people who at first appear to have the least often have the most to share in terms of stories or even in terms of time and attention or perhaps in how graciously they show that they care about you as a person. Belize thus far has been no different from what I have experienced in other underdeveloped regions around the world; however, I also acknowledge that the solution to poverty in Belize is a complex subject because there is no easy answer--just as it's a complex answer in any region of the world.
Tonight we heard a little about Palestine from one of the members of our team--particularly about factors that complicate the situation within the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Palestine itself consisted of primarily Christians and Muslims until the mass arrival of Jews who were fleeing persecution as well as the Holocaust. The creation of a Zionist state in Israel by the United Nations with British backing appears to have had a negative impact upon the indigenous Palestinian population--who remained in the majority of the population until they were divided up into separate regions controlled by Jordan (West Bank) and Egypt (Gaza Strip). Even so, the majority of the populace was given a minority portion of the land to settle in under the terms of the UN Agreement in the creation of an Israeli State. Aggressive Israeli expansion dreams along with a fear of being defeated by the Arab League drove Israel to pursue policies aimed at expanding Israel's borders and eliminating perceived threats to Israeli security. I could go into further detail about the issues pertaining to the so-called ethnic cleansing imposed by Israel--but I must say that I am no expert on the issue. What I will say in part is that Israel is able to pursue the policies that it has because it has the backing of the West--in part due to strategic interests, in part due to Western Guilt over the Holocaust and other persecution that Jews have faced through the centuries. I think the most surprising thing about the discussion that occurred was introducing the Christian Palestinians to the conflict certainly implies that this is not and never was strictly a Jewish-Muslim conflict. The settlements and tactics employed by Israel have been implemented in order to clear land in order to further Zionist goals of what we might consider a type of manifest destiny. The Palestinians have suffered, and Israel has certainly violated International Law, yet the international community has refused to act, in part due to Israel's strategic importance. Perhaps the bigger question I would have to ask, would be to consider what action the International Community could indeed take? If the International Community took action, what would the effect be upon development within the region? I understand the gravity of Israel's activities, and I certainly sympathize with the Palestinian plight; however, I am reluctant to endorse any sort of action that might be detrimental to even more people because of how long it takes for a particular area to develop and become relatively stable. The damage done by Israel has already been wrought; and I simply wonder what would the possible solutions to this issue be without harming development and causing further damage to regional stability.
Issues such as the ones that face the Israeli-Palestinian debate are fairly complex--which is fairly normal for countries around the world perhaps more so in countries that are attempting to develop into economically and politically stable countries. I would point to Zimbabwe as an example of where the overthrow of the legitimately elected Rhodesian Government (under the auspices of the 1965 Constitution) has not led to increased development despite ridding the country of a government that was in violation of international law. I would contend that Zimbabwe is worse off due to the actions of a new government. There is no guarantee that Palestine would be stable if it was able to secure independence.
These are just my rambling musings on development for the evening, I'll try to talk more about what we actually engage in when I next post. That's all for now, cheerio, pip-pip, and all that.
--James
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