On Christmas Day, 2007, holiday patrons of the San Francisco Zoo were shaken by one of the most famous zoo attacks in history. Mysteriously escaping her walled grotto, 250-pound Siberian tiger Tatiana immediately killed Carlos Sousa, Jr., 17, and severely mauled brothers Kulbir and Paul, 23 and 19, respectively, at a nearby café.
What began as a tragic incident led to a police investigation when witnesses claimed that the three had taunted the tiger, explaining why the tiger had specifically targeted the two brothers, who had run some 300 yards away before being caught. When all was done, police had put down Tatiana on site and the brothers had undergone massive amounts of surgery in order to repair deep wounds; obviously a poor result for all involved.
This story should send a blatant message to the creatures of this planet:
1.) Teasers, don’t tease. It can only lead to trouble.
2.) Tigers, don’t overreact. Despite the pain that you can cause, equal if not greater pain can still be visited upon you.
For most of my life, I have felt that relations between Israelis and Palestinians were analogous to those between sheep and wolves. Always recognizing Israel as the victim in constant suicide attacks and roadside bombings, I saw the Israeli government and people as innocent sheep, doing nothing to perpetuate the violence.
But the recent violence in Gaza and the not-long-passed violence in Lebanon have caused me to reform this analogy. I see now that neither side is innocent, nor does either party make real attempts at peace. They are teasers and tigers, forever demonstrating hatred and failing to understand.
First to the teasers, to the Palestinian citizens who have chosen to fire rockets over the border, I am forced to ask: what constructive purpose do you believe you serve? Whatever your motivation, whether out of vengeance, hatred, or frustration, I cannot imagine the circumstances under which your actions would alleviate any such predicament. Even if we should choose to ignore the obvious military might of Israeli forces, the firing of rockets into largely civilian regions of the country does little to gain international or even regional sympathy.
Furthermore, when we recognize the superior forces of Israel, as demonstrated in its War for Independence, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War, the situation becomes even more comparable to a man teasing a 250-pound tiger. In practical terms, we all can recognize that conflict is inevitable. But in this case, antagonizing superior forces is not only impractical, but also outright foolish.
Yet the teaser is not the only one to blame in this tragedy. The tiger of Israel should also be blamed for its inability to realize the destruction that it would unleash upon the homes of thousands of Palestinians. While I would hardly call rocket attacks nothing but teasing, 1,300 Palestinian casualties in 3 weeks and the nearly complete destruction of the Palestinian economic infrastructure are hardly a proportional response. While I believe the Israeli claims that they were only seeking to eliminate the leaders of Hamas, I also cannot ignore the fact that Israel embarked on this campaign knowing the direct and indirect tolls that they would exact on the civilians of that country.
Through the legally justifiable, albeit risky, use of artillery in urban areas, white phosphorus masking techniques (which severely burn skin on contact), and blatant disregard for civilian centers, Israel has transformed itself. No longer can it be seen as a sheep, bearing the brunt of undeserved attacks without reciprocity. It has become the tiger, engaging in the same style of warfare that it has condemned for so long.
The international community for the most part grants that this invasion was provoked. But the degree of collateral damage caused by Israeli actions has forced many, if not most, nations around the world to reprimand Israel for the action. As Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon stated, “we need to restore basic respect for civilians.” Until this is done, this Israeli use of force can never be condoned or even sympathized with.
Both the tiger and the teaser are to blame for this war, and they will both be to blame for the next. We can only hope that at some point in the future, the important players in these conflicts will realize that the violence does not satisfy the needs of either state. For the Palestinians, it has led to absolute destruction of the economy and an ever-growing count of casualties. Likewise, Israel has lost face internationally, and it remains questionable if that can be undone in the near future.
On Christmas Day in 2007 at the San Francisco Zoo, both the teasers and the tiger lost their lives. The lesson we should learn is that this sort of international relationship is detrimental to all involved.
It is the responsibility of both parties to change the way they act and react, creating a situation that will save resources, energy, and lives.
Alex Ehmke is a freshman political science, public policy and economics triple major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
