Transformation and Death

I watched a BBC World Debate at the Middle East World Forum on the weekend. If I ever find a video link, I'll update this. It was fascinating -- around a dozen 20-somethings from Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Kuwait, Saudi and a few other places on one side, and on the other side was a politician from Egypt, the Palestinian Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, and Tony Blair. Really worth the watch if you can find it.

Anyhow, as I was watching this, and hearing both sides, I understood things a little better. Israel can't really negotiate with a fractured Palestine (the "official" government as well as the Hamas "power" structure), while the Palestinians don't really appreciate 40% of their land being taken up by 400,000 Israeli settlers. Fair enough.

It was clear that transformation would require death - but it was starkly clear that the death of transformation is always the death of self, not of others. The Deputy Prime Minister of Israel asked how he could negotiate with the Hamas whose stated purpose is the eradication of the state of Israel and all Jews. Clearly they get the idea that transformation requires death, but they miss the point that the death of transformation is the death of self: the death of my fear, the death of my hatred, the death of my bitterness, the death of my desire for control.