The never-ending cycle of violence continues in the Middle East.  The conflict between the Jewish state of Israel and the Palestinian people cannot be resolved through war.  Only a negotiated settlement between the two warring sides can bring peace to the region.  The latest skirmish started when a contingent of Hamas fighters invaded Israel and killed more than a thousand people.  Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas.  But in the process, it is killing thousands of innocent residents of Gaza.  It is an asymmetric battle. Israel has garnered World’s sympathy, the Palestinian people not so much.

I am not taking sides.  A piece on Israeli mother’s lament will follow, soon.

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My heart is heavy, my soul is weary,
My children suffer, oh so dreary.
World has turned its back on us,
Why is humanity so callous?

My home is gone, my land is lost,
My people are dying, bodies torn apart.
Bombs keep falling, guns keep firing,
Our cries for help, no one is listening.

I pray for peace, I pray for hope,
I pray for love, to help us cope.
But all I see is pain and sorrow,
A never-ending cycle, with no tomorrow.

My children ask me why we suffer so,
Why we have nowhere to go?
I have no answers, no words to say,
All I can do is hold them tight and pray.

Pray for a better future, pray for a better life,
Pray for an end to this endless strife.
For we are mothers, don’t test our fervor
We will fight for our children, forever.

I empathize with Israeli mothers
Who too are suffering, drenched in pain.
If we joined forces, mother-to-mother
Lives lost would not be in vain.