291. The cursed ‘eighth decade’ in a country's history

Israel has now entered its proverbial eighth decade. This decade has brought crises and the breakup of kingdoms many times across many countries. And believe me, it is a historical fact.

It is commonly thought that by a nation’s eighth decade, its third generation comes of age. The first and second generations are keenly aware of their significant responsibilities and are willing to make sacrifices for their country’s benefit. In contrast, the third generation tends to believe the nation’s survival is guaranteed and mainly concentrates on its own group's interests.

For instance, the Third Republic of France, established in 1871, surrendered to the Nazis in 1940 during its eighth decade. Italy turned fascist, and Germany became a Nazi state in the eighth decade following their unification. Communism, originating from the October Revolution of 1917, started to break down in the 1980s and was ultimately ended 74 years after its inception in 1991. The American Civil War began 85 years after the Constitution was adopted, placing it in the ninth decade, although the process began in the eighth. 

The ‘eighth decade’ for Israel is more significant because history offers many lessons at this point. Earlier, in the land of Israel, two sovereign Jewish kingdoms thrived, and both began to unravel in their eighth decade. 

Both kingdoms endured for about 220 years, but their decline began in the eighth decade of their reign. Currently, the situation is serious again - Hamas, Hezbollah missiles, and Iranian nukes, and the like. 

The first Jewish state, established by King David, stayed united for 80 years. In its 81st year, internal conflicts led to the kingdom of the House of David breaking apart into separate kingdoms of Yehuda and Yisrael, signaling the start of its decline. 

The Hasmonean kingdom was the second Jewish state during the Second Temple period. It remained a united and independent nation for 77 years. In its eighth decade, internal conflicts caused the kingdom to fracture, leading representatives from both factions fighting for the throne to request help from Pompey in Syria. 

Each begged him to acknowledge them as vassals of Rome. Consequently, the formerly independent Hasmonean state became a Roman protectorate, forfeiting its proud Jewish independence.

The founding of the State of Israel 75 years ago marks the third attempt to break the curse of the eighth decade. Let us hope it survives this time, even though it doesn’t deserve to. I am compelled to make this bold statement, and there are reasons galore.

In a recent development, Israel is doing something that would make you cringe. It has asked the Palestinians in the al-Bustan district to make way for King's Garden by knocking down their own homes. Can you imagine? 

Someone who fails to demolish their home is fined by the municipality to cover the cost of demolishing it, plus the cost of the sandwiches the police ate during the days-long operation.

Usually, municipal workers operate the bulldozers; however, in the al-Bustan neighborhood near the 11th-century al-Aqsa mosque, the noise is from Palestinians demolishing their own homes for the theme park.

It’s indeed tragic as people are forced to demolish the last remains of the house built by their father, which was also their grandparents’ home. Imagine the experience of tearing down your own family’s house and your ancestral history!!!

Now, examine the brutal economics. The Jerusalem municipality would cost you £70,000 if its workers demolished your house, but if you hire your own equipment and labor, it would cost you less than a tenth of that. So, you are given the choice between suicide and murder.

The biblical theme park is believed to be the site where King Solomon relaxed 3,000 years ago. It is exclusively themed around Jerusalem’s Jewish history and is centered on what is known as the City of David.

The idea of the King's Garden theme park is not new. However, due to Palestinian resistance, international opposition, and ambivalence within Israeli politics, it was put on hold for two decades. The first barrier fell on 7 October 2023, during the Hamas attacks, and the other two barriers fell when Donald Trump returned as US president. 

As is usually the case, whether after bombing a school, hospital, or residential area, Israel offers the same explanation. Similarly, the municipality claims that the proposed theme park was intended to benefit all city residents, that this area suffers from a severe shortage of open public spaces, and that the houses were constructed without legal permits. 

The truth is that some homes date back long before the Israeli occupation. Now the residents face a future of homelessness and uncertainty.

This is nothing but a systematic effort to erase Palestinians from both geography and history. With this step, Israel has sent a clear message to the world that it is not willing to recognize the bi-national, multi-ethnic, multicultural reality of Jerusalem.

Visitors to the park will be unaware that an entire community was destroyed to make way for it. You can imagine the peace, serenity, and calm the park will provide them. I'm sure it wouldn’t give off a positive vibe.

I watched the Nakba commemoration day celebration on television the other day, when Israeli Jews marched through the Old City to mark Jerusalem Day, chanting “death to Arabs.” But the Benjamin Netanyahu administration is ignoring the tsunami of hatred around the world. Friends from Tel Aviv tell me that not many citizens are happy with this.

If Israel has to survive the eighth decade and the decades to come, and for eternity, it has to leave hatred behind and seek peace with its neighbors and the nations of the Middle East.

They should not ignore the dark prediction by former Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba: “The Arabs should not fight Israel; the Jews, in their internal quarrels, will destroy themselves.”

Biblical texts like the Book of Deuteronomy describe God promising blessings to Israel for obedience and warning of harsh curses, such as exile and destruction, if they break the covenant. 

However, history is not always unfavorable to them. In the Book of Numbers, Balaam, a prophet. initially hired to curse Israel, was instead told by God to bless them. This story gave rise to the famous biblical phrase: “Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed, and whoever curses Israel will be cursed.” 

Israel must remember that it can demolish the past of many Palestinian families, demolish their memories, but can never be able to demolish their dreams and their future. 

Time has its own cycle of punishing and rewarding a generation. And as it goes, sabka time aayega (everyone’s time will come).