“Peace on Earth” If We Build It

This holiday season in the trans-Atlantic world traditionally brings forth more profound reflections on the purpose of life and the love of humanity. It was in this spirit that the leaders of the major Christian communities in Bethlehem, including Greek Orthodox, Syriac, Armenian, Catholic and Lutheran denominations, composed a letter to U.S. President Biden in late November asking him to intervene in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza. Three of them, possibly three wise men — carried the letter to Washington, Nov. 30. It reads, in part:

“Next week, we were supposed to begin our advent and Christmas season. This should have been a time of joy and hope. This year, it is a season of death and despair…. This year, Christmas celebrations are cancelled in Bethlehem….This land has been crying for peace and justice for 75 years. It is time justice is served. It is time everybody can live with dignity in this land…. A comprehensive and just peace is the only hope for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

“We are writing to plead with you to help stop this war. God has placed political leaders in a position of power so that they can bring justice, support those who suffer, and be instruments of God’s peace. We want a constant and comprehensive ceasefire…. This is a moral obligation.”

Unfortunately, President Biden did not heed their call. Nor did most European leaders. Just a few days later, on Dec. 8, the United States vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire, and the United Kingdom abstained. Despite the escalation of the killing in Gaza, the U.S. again voted against a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly on Dec. 12, while the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and 19 others abstained.

Germany and the UK, through their Foreign Ministers Annalena Baerbock and David Cameron, then attempted to justify their government’s rejection of an “immediate” ceasefire in a joint article dripping with hypocrisy, published Dec. 16 in the Times and Die Welt. Professing support for a “sustainable ceasefire”, they argue that an end to the bombing before Hamas is completely wiped out (and presumably most of the Palestinian population as well) will only increase the violence later.

The Biden Administration, for its part, is politely asking the Israeli government to “tone down” the genocide and allow more aid to dying, while Prime Minister Netanyahu himself has vowed to escalate the fighting over the holiday season, despite the growing opposition in Israel itself, and among the Jewish community worldwide.

Fortunately, most of the world – the Global Majority — rejects the blatant double standards applied by the “unipolar world”. They are demanding economic development and the freedom to grow and to contribute to building a better, more just world. They won’t accept the de-growth, de-industrialization and de-population sold under the label of a “green deal”, nor the permanent war policy.

The moment has come to “turn the swords into plowshares and the spears into pruning hooks”, to quote the Bible. The world needs massive mutual development programs to end wars, for the reasons tirelessly explained by Lyndon LaRouche. EIR is about to publish a fact sheet on how the current defense giants in the military-financial complex can be turned into productive capacities to make that happen (cf. below on the IPC).