From the Office of the Honorary President, Jeffrey Levett
An Appeal to the Leadersip of Iran and Israel
Escalating Wrongs where Two do not make a Right
As our marvelous world is being turned into a planetary spittoon seen by many as rain, and peace falls back becoming more difficult to find like the proverbial needle in a growing haystack.
Now the world lives with an additional warning that an Iranian attack could be imminent. As a response I write with all due personal respect as multidimensional clouds of dire concern wrap our one and only god given world. I write with grave concern over what seems an impending threat of escalation should Iran respond in kind to what it says is an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus. It killed seven Revolutionary Guard members, including a highly esteemed general, Mohammad Reza Zahedi.
De-escalation can only work if the principle of two wrongs doesn’t make a right is rigorously applied.
As I wrote the words above to the Leaders of Iran more than 200 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were fired on Israel from Iran. So my Appeal now extends to both the Leadership of Iran and Israel and I repeat that escalating wrongs can lead to unimaginable wrong and where two can never make a Right
Apprehension is being driven by the call for and by asking why not revenge and by predictions that Iran will attack Israel “sooner than later”. A decision to take action in kind should be based both on national and global interests. But first should come restraint as I thought wrongly you had demonstrated. Now we are concerned for an Israeli retaliation against Iran and further regional escalation, which causes me to add the Leaders of Israel to this appeal.
To the Leadership of Israel I say it was an outrageous
and saddening act both when Hamas attacked Israel killing innocent Israelis and
in its taking of 240 hostages, with 30 dead the others just surviving undergoing
immense suffering in captivity as well as the disproportionate military
response killing 30,ooo Palestinians whose remaining population now face
famine.
As I write these additional words Iran
has already issued a warning to Israel that their response will be much larger
than the recent air strike if Israel retaliates. On that road Iran runs the risk of greater poverty
of its people and less prayer and greater unrest in its youthful population.
To Israel I say let your
reasonableness be known to everyone.
For your information, the World Philosophical Forum,
Athens is a unique platform where Humanity can discuss general Earth problems
and human interests regardless of race, religion-faith, education, ideology,
social position or rank within a framework of unity and solidarity and in the
recognition that wisdom, reason, morality, responsibility and justice are human
values par excellence. We are saddened by the rapid and global increase in
grievous events. Just one less may prove catalytic to a significant change,
which can be your positive response to our appeal. Our principle should be that
no one should harm another and should such a transgression take place it is
dealt with by a global entity in a framework of the concentrated wisdom of
philosophy.
The small voice of the World Philosophical Forum, Athens while calling for restraint as the optimal response to the current situation is concerned for an extended stand-off which can drive population anxiety and precipitate hidden mental disturbance as well as for a worst-outcome scenario which can take the world to the gates of Armageddon. The discontinuous trajectory from restraint to stand-off to absolute disaster is a highway on which the worst aspects of popularization can develop but we can run into the Good Samaritan. Certainly wellbeing will decrease as the cost of everything rises and household resources fall. Restraint according to the Bible mitigates evil and corruption to make a society civilized.
Respectfully, I ask that you hear our polite and sotto voce voice in the name of peace and in the name of the world’s children in accordance with Bahrain’s obligations under international law and bearing in mind Surah An-Nisa (4:135) and Surah An-Nisa (4:58) of the Al Quran. I appeal to you on the happy celebration of Eid al-Fitr (Η Ιντ αλ-Φιτρ)
In accordance with the Al Quran I ask that you uphold humanity and give it a better chance to survive as an exemplary demonstration of concern for justice and for the well-being of others. Your faith I am sure will encourage you to deal with the challenge placed before you with a brave heart and strong commitment in the spirit of wajahidu or a deep philosophy that requires a great effort to follow. As you know better than I, such an endeavor requires steadfastness and determination. It was with a sense of daring combined with wisdom on the part of Plato that caused Socrates to be written into eternity.
In the name of a 10-year-old Israeli child seriously wounded by shrapnel and all children of our marvelous world we urge both Israel and Iran in the name of the Holy Bible and the Al Quran to show due restraint; avoidance of harm and reduction of violence.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Jeffrey Levett
Honorary President, World Philosophical
Forum, Athens