WHY is it happening? When will it end? Is it my fault at all? Just a few of the things you do not know, and would prefer not to, about the conflict in the Middle East:
Who are the baddies?
Hamas attacked Israel first, but Israel attacked back with overwhelming force and a bracing disregard for civilian casualties, then attacked Hezbollah who to be fair were involved in the Hamas thing but then invaded Lebanon and now Iran’s attacked Israel. So it remains unclear.
Why is it happening?
Yes, now this is Hamas again, or is it Hezbollah, or Iran, or does it all go back to 1974 or 1948? F**ked if you know. You can barely remember which day the bins go out, let alone which militia or non-state actor first made Israel feel threatened once they’d finished bombing British occupation forces. Oh look, Bake Off is on.
What’s Iran got to do with it?
Iran doesn’t even share a border with Israel which makes their decision to launch hundreds of missiles very American. Ros Atkins is really going to have to boil this situation down to the very, very simplest facts for you to get your head around it. Perhaps Newsround will explain it in sentences you can understand.
Are we still giving Israel weapons?
Not as much as we used to, which still means the answer is: yes. Politicians who would condemn bombed hospitals in any other scenario prefer not to mention them here. Besides, arms are one of Britain’s key exports. We’re a global hub. We should be proud.
When will it end?
Even close followers of geopolitics come to the dispiriting conclusion of: f**k knows. Nobody thought it would last this many decades. Fighting ebbs and flows but peace is unlikely to be declared anytime soon. File it away with Ukraine, North Korea, and your pension in a mental folder labelled ‘too depressing to think about’.
Is this the start of World War Three?
The origins of large-scale global conflicts are hard to define. Even the assassination of Franz Ferdinand relied on simmering regional tensions to escalate. World War Two may have started over in China rather than when Hitler invaded Poland. Which means the third world war may already be underway so don’t worry about it.
Can I stop reading about it and mute the news when it’s on?
Morally, no. Practically, you already are.
