Beyond the Binary: Israel, Palestine, North & South Korea's Quest for Peace
Why the Path to Lasting Peace Isn’t as Simple as Yelling Out the Other's Fau
In a world where everyone seems to have figured out how to monetize their opinions, if you listen carefully through the yelling of agitators, there are voices rising in support of peace and justice.
That’s fantastic, honestly. We need so much more of these quieter, steadfast, levelheaded, discerning voices in our world today because the ignorance of the useful idiot is deafening.
As we see with unwavering support for Palestine while “death to Israel,” "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," there’s a tiny little issue that keeps cropping up: oversimplifying complex situations.
After all, what could be easier than solving a century-long geopolitical conflict with keyboard warriors hashtagging it out, some banners on the street, and a lot of angry, disenfranchised white could-have-been-soccer-moms that decided to abort their chances for a family instead, right?
In a similar vein, some are promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula, calling for an official end to a war that’s been technically ongoing since 1953. Again, ending wars: always a good thing! But while these two hotspots may seem worlds apart, there’s a common thread here.
Oversimplification.
When we oversimplify these complex situations into a 'good guys versus bad guys' narrative—where the villain is often conveniently cast as 'the white man,' likely influenced by misguided ideologies like CRT, Liberation Theology, and the privileged voices of trust-fund babies angered by parental neglect, a massive inheritance war chest, and a keyboard—it’s no surprise that things get tricky. Handling peace treaties like a simple honey-do list task is about as naive as saying the cause of the Korean War is exclusively related to being “white and male.”
So, let’s have a quick look at how promoting peace—whether in Israel, Palestine, or Korea—requires a bit more than picking a side, incessant virtue signaling, and marching with the most shrill voice on the block.
Israel-Palestine: More Than a ‘Who’s Right’ Debate
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been simmering for over a century. On October 7, 2023, Hamas flew into Israel and killed over 2000 of their unsuspecting citizens. Mothers and grandmothers were killed in their beds resting on a religious holiday, children put into ovens, and fathers and mothers raped and live-streamed using their own phones so their friends would see this vile evil. (for more on this, I recommend listening to Bari Weiss’ interview of Trey Yingst, who has been on the ground in Israel every day since October 7, 2023.)
To put this into scale for us Americans, it would be the equivalent of terrorists killing over 40,000 of our citizens in one day. Do you remember how much of a response the U.S. gave to terrorists killing 3000 of us on 9-11-2001? You get the picture, I hope.
Anyway, I digress (a little). But you might know it's a big deal if you’ve heard about the Israel-Palestinian conflict in the past few days (or the past hundred years). This issue is embroiled in land disputes, religious tensions, historical and cultural grievances, and, of course, everyone’s favorite—politics. Lately, the spotlight has fallen on Palestinian suffering under Israeli occupation, with global voices aligning themselves as steadfast supporters of the Palestinian cause, all while seeming to forget about the 2000 innocents killed on October 7, 2023.
Now, don’t get me wrong—no one’s suggesting that advocating for Palestinian rights isn’t essential. And I’m sure war crimes are happening on both sides because, well, it’s war, and while I’ve never been in one (thank God), I can imagine one’s primary focus is solely on survival and neutralizing the threat and vengeance.
But here’s the thing: being a staunch supporter of *anything* doesn’t mean you get to ignore the other side of the story. That would be like listening to only one half of an argument and declaring, “Case closed!”
Spoiler alert: It’s not.
Reducing the conflict to a simple “oppressor versus oppressed” narrative might make you feel like you’re part of the solution, but it’s like trying to fix a broken car by honking the horn. Sure, you’re doing something, but it’s not getting you anywhere. In this case, ignoring the legitimate security concerns of Israelis or turning a blind eye to the role of Hamas in the conflict doesn’t just make things awkward—it can make things worse.
Case-in-point: the Korean Peninsula. This oppressor-versus-oppressed mantra has been used long enough for us to see that it doesn’t work. It contributes to the divide.
The Korean War: No, It Didn’t End in 1953
Remember that tiny little conflict called the Korean War? No? Well, you wouldn’t be alone. Technically, it’s still ongoing, and while there hasn’t been active fighting for decades, this lingering armistice never quite turned into a peace treaty. Yet, today, some peace advocates are pushing for an official end to the war, which sounds pretty reasonable until you start seeing these so-called peace advocates aligning with antisemitic, pro-Hamas activism. This is like calling for peace on the Korean Peninsula while secretly mailing Kim Jung-Un letters saying you’re going to “take care of him,” signed, U.S.A.
I mean, sure, we all want peace. Who wouldn’t want the Korean Peninsula to be a nuclear-free zone with fluffy bunnies, McDonald’s, and singing birds? But let’s not pretend that a simple handshake between leaders will magically make the powers that be in North Korea wake up one morning and say, “You know what? Let’s reunify now.” Advocating for peace on the Korean Peninsula while playing activist for Hamas and ignoring their heinous attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, is akin to preaching nonviolence while financing arsonists or via an online alias fueling the embers of racism — you cannot credibly promote peace when you align yourself with forces that fuel destruction and terror.
Missing the Middle Ground
Whether in Israel, Palestine, or Korea, the dangers of unwavering, absolute support for one side are as apparent as the plot twist in a bad movie. Oversimplification ignores the complex realities of these conflicts and tends to stoke the flames of extremism. And let’s face it: no one likes it when someone barges into the room shouting, “I know the answer to everything!”—especially when they can't, but they think they can trick you and the world into thinking they are the sage on the topic at hand.
Supporting the rights of Israelis and Palestinians or pushing for peace in Korea without considering the opposing sides’ concerns will only serve to deepen divisions. By the way, just so we’re clear, this doesn’t mean not supporting Palestinian sovereignty, Israel's pursuit of justice for being attacked, or pushing for an end to the Korean War. You can do all those things! It just means doing it with more finesse and less of that “one side is 100% right” energy. Balance is key here, fellow plebes.
Look, it’s easy to reduce conflicts to a narrative that fits neatly on a protest sign. But the real world? It’s messier than that. Peace in the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula isn’t going to be achieved by yelling louder than the other guy or pretending that a couple of decades of political history can be summarized in a tweet. Protest is essential, but tact makes a change.
True peace requires a thoughtful approach that takes into account both sides' concerns—yes, both sides—while simultaneously not burning bridges with prospective advocates based on gender or skin color. In 2024, it is disheartening that we still need to address this. But some of you are at fault for continuing the divisiveness in the world.
No one’s saying you have to love the other side, but maybe—just maybe—acknowledging that they have a point or two could help move things forward. If you bring tertiary things into the conversation, things like race, gender, gender-identity, and your “cause” is lost. Now the cause for “peace on the Korean Peninsula,” or “peace for Palestine,” or “Israel is justified,” is now about anything but those original mission statements.
So, next time you’re about to jump into a debate about Palestine, Israel or Korea, maybe pause for a moment and ask yourself: Am I considering the full picture, or am I just simplifying this to make myself feel better? Because let’s be honest, peace isn’t about picking the “right” side—it’s about finding a solution that works for everyone. And this is something worth fighting for.