# *Detailed SUMMARY of the article "The cheese on the spectacles" by Jawed Naqvi, Published in Dawn on June 10th, 2025:* The article examines how *three major global conflicts* - *Gaza*, *Ukraine*, and *Kashmir* - represent missed opportunities for *peace* that were sabotaged by *colonial interventions* and *external manipulation*. The author argues that *narratives about racial, linguistic, and religious incompatibility* are false, as these groups historically *coexisted peacefully* before *colonial interference*. In *Palestine*, *Jews and Muslims* lived harmoniously before the *1948 Nakba*, and during *Moorish Spain*, *Christians, Jews, and Muslims* enjoyed *legendary harmony*. Today's *Jewish students* in the *US* lead *pro-Palestinian campaigns*, continuing the legacy of *Jewish intellectuals* like *Noam Chomsky*, *Ilan Pappé*, and *Norman Finkelstein* who support *Jewish-Arab unity* in a *single-state solution* rather than *partition*. The *toxicity* stems from *colonial perfidy*, not inherent incompatibility. In *Ukraine-Russia*, both nations fought *Nazi Germany* together as part of the *Soviet Union* during the *Great Patriotic War*, sharing *common church*, *customs*, and *culture*. *Churchill's Iron Curtain* rhetoric reflected *colonial Russophobia*. Recent *Ukrainian attacks* on *Russian strategic air fleet* show *MI6 fingerprints* and *CIA involvement*, with *rogue elements* flourishing under *Trump's watch*. The author traces *Britain's colonial power* to the *15th-century discovery of America*, transforming it from an *insignificant island* to a global power that would later *grab and sell Kashmir* to the *highest bidder*. All three conflicts had *low-hanging fruits of peace* that were deliberately destroyed: *Russia* simply wanted *NATO* to stay away from its borders and recognition as an *equal European neighbor*, but the *West* unleashed *Victoria Nuland* and the *Maidan coup*, using the *Minsk Accords* to mock Russia rather than negotiate. The *1981 Fez Arab League summit* offered the *eight-point Fahd Plan* by *Saudi Crown Prince*, proposing *East Jerusalem* as *Palestinian capital*, *Israeli withdrawal* from *occupied territories*, and *Arab recognition* of *Israel's security* - far more generous than current proposals. The *Cold War* prevented acceptance, and the later *Oslo Accords* were sabotaged when a *Jewish supporter of Netanyahu* assassinated *Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin*. Since then, *Israel* has pursued *"mowing the grass"* - routinely *weakening resistance* and *killing leaders*. The *Kashmir dispute* had the most accessible solution through *Pervez Musharraf's four-point formula*, ready for signing by *India's Manmohan Singh* before the *military dictator's deposition*. The *Modi government* now claims *demonetization* of *85% of Indian currency* and *dismantling Kashmir's special status* as *anti-terrorism* victories, currently *trying war*. The author concludes with an anecdote about *Dudley Fernando* and *Mervyn Periera* from a *Dubai newspaper*, where wiping *cheese from glasses* solved a headache, suggesting that clearing the *"fog of war"* would reveal that *terrorism* is a *political problem* requiring *peaceful discussions*, not military solutions. # *Easy/Short SUMMARY*: *Three major conflicts* - *Gaza*, *Ukraine*, and *Kashmir* - represent missed *peace opportunities* sabotaged by *colonial interference*. *Jews-Muslims*, *Russians-Ukrainians*, and *Kashmiris* historically *coexisted peacefully* before *external manipulation*. The *1981 Fahd Plan*, *Musharraf's Kashmir formula*, and *Russia's NATO concerns* offered clear *peace paths* that were deliberately destroyed by *colonial powers* and *external actors*. The author argues that *terrorism* is a *political problem* requiring *dialogue*, not *war*, comparing it to wiping *cheese from glasses* to see clearly. # *SOLUTIONS of The Problem*: ## *1. Recognize Historical Harmony* Acknowledge that *Jews-Muslims*, *Russians-Ukrainians*, and *Kashmiris* lived peacefully before *colonial interference*. ## *2. Implement Single-State Solution* Pursue *one-state solution* for *Palestine* where *Jews, Christians, and Muslims* coexist as *equal citizens*. ## *3. Respect Russia's Security Concerns* Accept *Russia* as an *equal European neighbor* and keep *NATO* away from *Russian borders*. ## *4. Revive Fahd Plan Principles* Implement *1981 Fahd Plan* elements: *East Jerusalem* as *Palestinian capital* and *Israeli withdrawal* from *occupied territories*. ## *5. Restart Kashmir Dialogue* Revive *Musharraf's four-point formula* for *Kashmir* through *India-Pakistan negotiations*. ## *6. End External Interference* Stop *CIA*, *MI6*, and other *foreign intelligence* manipulation in regional conflicts. ## *7. Treat Terrorism Politically* Address *terrorism* as a *political problem* requiring *dialogue*, not military solutions. ## *8. Learn from Peace Attempts* Study failed *peace processes* like *Oslo Accords* and *Minsk Agreements* to avoid *sabotage*. ## *9. Reject Colonial Narratives* Abandon *divisive colonial narratives* about *racial* and *religious incompatibility*. ## *10. Build Regional Cooperation* Foster *regional cooperation* based on *shared history* and *common interests* rather than *external agendas*. # *IMPORTANT Facts and Figures Given in the article*: - *Three major conflicts*: *Gaza*, *Ukraine*, and *Kashmir* represent missed *peace opportunities*. - *Jews and Muslims* lived harmoniously in *Palestine* before *1948 Nakba*. - *Christians, Jews, and Muslims* coexisted in *Moorish Spain*. - *Ukraine and Russia* fought *Nazi Germany* together in *Great Patriotic War*. - *1981 Fez Arab League summit* proposed *eight-point Fahd Plan*. - *East Jerusalem* offered as *Palestinian capital* in *Fahd Plan*. - *Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin* assassinated by *Netanyahu supporter*. - *Pervez Musharraf's four-point Kashmir formula* ready for signing by *Manmohan Singh*. - *Modi government* demonetized *85% of Indian currency* claiming *anti-terrorism*. - *Britain* transformed from *insignificant island* after *15th-century America discovery*. # *IMPORTANT Facts and Figures out of the article*: - *1948 Arab-Israeli War* displaced *750,000 Palestinians* (*UN estimates*, 2024). - *Ukraine-Russia* share *46 million ethnic Russians* in Ukraine (*Census*, 2001). - *Gaza Strip* has *2.3 million* residents in *365 sq km* (*UN*, 2024). - *Kashmir dispute* affects *12 million people* across *LoC* (*Census*, 2017). - *Oslo Accords* signed in *1993* and *1995* (*Historical records*). - *Minsk Agreements* signed in *2014* and *2015* (*OSCE*, 2024). - *Israel* has built *140+ illegal settlements* in *West Bank* (*UN*, 2024). - *NATO* expanded to *32 members* including *Eastern Europe* (*NATO*, 2024). # *MCQs from the Article*: ### 1. *Which three conflicts does the author identify as missed peace opportunities?* A. Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen *B. Gaza, Ukraine, Kashmir* C. Iraq, Libya, Somalia D. Lebanon, Palestine, India ### 2. *What was offered as the Palestinian capital in the 1981 Fahd Plan?* A. West Jerusalem *B. East Jerusalem* C. Gaza City D. Ramallah ### 3. *Who assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin?* A. Palestinian militant B. Arab extremist *C. Jewish supporter of Netanyahu* D. Foreign agent ### 4. *What percentage of Indian currency did Modi's government demonetize?* A. 70% B. 80% *C. 85%* D. 90% ### 5. *What does the author compare to "wiping cheese from glasses"?* A. Economic reforms B. Military strategy *C. Clearing the fog of war* D. Political negotiations # *VOCABULARY*: 1. *Perverse* (منحرف) – Contrary to accepted standards or practice 2. *Sabotage* (تخریب) – Deliberately destroy or obstruct something 3. *Nakba* (نکبہ) – Arabic term for catastrophe (1948 Palestinian displacement) 4. *Zealotry* (تعصب) – Fanatical and uncompromising pursuit of ideals 5. *Incontrovertible* (ناقابل تردید) – Unable to be denied or disputed 6. *Perfidy* (دغابازی) – Deceitfulness and untrustworthiness 7. *Bilious* (تلخ) – Spiteful and bad-tempered 8. *Russophobia* (روس دشمنی) – Dislike or prejudice against Russia 9. *Rogue* (بدمعاش) – Dishonest or unprincipled person 10. *Vortex* (گرداب) – Whirlpool or turbulent situation 11. *Subterfuges* (فریب) – Deceitful strategies or devices 12. *Instigated* (اکسایا) – Brought about or initiated an action 13. *Mowing the grass* (گھاس کاٹنا) – Israeli term for periodic military operations 14. *Deposed* (معزول) – Removed from office forcibly 15. *Demonetised* (غیر قانونی قرار دینا) – Withdraw currency from circulation 16. *Flaunts* (نمائش) – Display proudly or ostentatiously 17. *Dismantling* (ختم کرنا) – Taking apart or abolishing 18. *Smudgy* (دھندلا) – Blurred or unclear 19. *Tamed* (قابو) – Brought under control 20. *Instructive* (تعلیمی) – Giving useful information or knowledge 📢 *Attention Please!* We appreciate your commitment to acquiring knowledge through our summaries. Please be reminded not to remove the attribution label affixed to this article. It is crucial to acknowledge the source and the effort invested in creating this summary. We discourage any unauthorized distribution without proper credit. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. 🔍 ⚡ *Explore More Summaries, Solutions, and Vocabulary Meanings* 💡 Join our WhatsApp Channel for timely and comprehensive summaries of the latest articles, along with well-crafted solutions and helpful vocabulary meanings. Click the link below to join now 🔗 [Dawn Article Summaries](https://cssmcqs.com/dawn-editorials-articles-summary-for-students-pdf-download/) *WhatsApp Channel Link*: [https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7tT3o35fLnJeFbpS2y](https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7tT3o35fLnJeFbpS2y) --- *www.dawn.com* *The cheese on the spectacles* *Jawed Naqvi* *6–8 minutes* TOO many times were we close to clinching the joy of peace and every time we allowed it to slip out of our hands. Perverse? Or sabotage? Take the fatal errors racing down towards a civilisation-ending catastrophe. Think of Gaza, Ukraine and, not least, Kashmir, among the terrifying raging stand-offs. But first let's set aside the unhelpful narratives stalking all three zones about the alleged inability of people of different races, speaking different languages, and following different faiths and beliefs to live together in harmony and peace. Curiously, but not eventually surprisingly, in all three troubled contexts, the divisive hand of colonialism is clearly visible. Jews and Muslims had lived in Palestine in harmony before the Nakba of 1948, did they not? Who turned them against each other? In fact, in an even earlier era, Christians, Jews and Muslims were enjoying legendary harmony in Spain during the much-maligned Moorish rule. Tariq Ali has forcefully highlighted the subversion of that almost forgotten Andalusian history by contrived zealotry. Even today, aren't young Jewish students and activists in the US leading the campaign to stop Israel's war crimes against the Palestinians who incidentally comprise Muslims and Christians? Palestine has been turned into a religious fight today. For those who were not around, Yasser Arafat's wife, Suha Tawil, was a Palestinian Christian. George Habash and Leila Khaled, together with countless others were militant Palestinians from the Christian tradition. They fought for a single Palestine where its Jews, Christians and Muslims would cohabit in peace and equal justice like before the Balfour Declaration poisoned their lives. America's Jewish youth are not doing anything that wasn't done by their forebears. They are carrying on the torch lit by Noam Chomsky, Ilan Pappé, Gabor Maté and Norman Finkelstein among other Jewish public intellectuals canvassing support for a Jewish-Arab embrace. Given the incontrovertible narrative of their history, Jews and Arabs should not be thought of living separately in a two-state solution but together as equal citizens in a single country. The toxicity introduced to vacate the possibility owes much to colonial perfidy. As for Ukraine and Russia, they fought Nazi Germany together as part of the Soviet Union. Their sacrifices and unity in the Great Patriotic War disturbed colonialists. Winston Churchill's bilious 'Iron Curtain' venom flowed from the colonial legacy of Russophobia. Historically, Russia and Ukraine had one church and shared common customs and culture. We talk of Hindu-Muslim differences as the inviolable truth, but who pitted Russians and Ukrainians against each other? A reasonable surmise lies in the Ukrainian boast of single-handedly targeting Russia's strategic air fleet last week. Well-regarded analysts see MI6 fingerprints on the capabilities used exclusively by MI6 and/or CIA, their rogue elements mushrooming under Donald Trump's watch. Pre-colonial Britain owes much to the 15th-century discovery of America, before which it was an insignificant chaotic island raided frequently by various European powers. In a sense, the trans-Atlantic voyage of Santa Maria became the bane of Kashmir, a land colonial powers would grab and sell at will to the highest bidder. Kashmir's fabled trout farms were seeded by British administrators while the partition of the subcontinent and its fallout trapped unsuspecting Kashmiris in a typically colonial vortex sans the Good Friday Agreement. Three of the hotspots experiencing strife today were watching low-hanging fruits of peace, which they were robbed of. All three hotspots, which are experiencing strife today, were watching low-hanging fruits of peace, which they were robbed of. What was Russia wanting from the West? Don't bring Nato to Russian borders. Accept Russia as an equal and friendly neighbour in Europe. Instead, they unleashed Victoria Nuland on Ukraine and the Maidan coup set up a most bloody conflict. Even here, the two Minsk accords were used to mock Russia instead of negotiating durable peace with it. The more recent Istanbul subterfuges instigated by Britain are all too well known. As for Palestine, I covered the Arab League summit in Fez in 1981. The eight-point Fahd Plan, authored by the then Saudi crown prince, offered way more than the closest friends of Palestine are hoping for today. East Jerusalem would be the capital of the new Palestinian state. Israel would withdraw from all occupied territories. The only condition was the recognition of the state of Israel, and an endorsement of its security by the Arabs. The Cold War was at its peak. Iraq, Libya, Syria and South Yemen declined the offer. Post-Cold War, the Oslo Accords were framed as a watered-down version of the Fez plan. That too was subverted when a Jewish supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Since then, Israel has been periodically 'mowing the grass', its name for routinely weakening the resistance and killing its leaders. The lowest of low-hanging fruits in this regard was perhaps the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. Pervez Musharraf's four-point formula was ready to be signed by India's Manmohan Singh when the military dictator was deposed. Now the Modi government says it demonetised 85 per cent of the Indian currency to fight terrorism. It flaunts the dismantling of Kashmir's special status as a winner against terrorism. Currently, it is trying out war. A newsroom exchange between two Sri Lankan seniors in a Dubai newspaper may provide a way out. Dudley Fernando was the leader writer whose wife would pack cheese sandwiches he never shared with anyone. One day he complained of a severe headache. Mervyn Periera, the sports editor, found his chance. "Dudley," he yelled angrily. "Try wiping that cheese from your glasses." The advice worked and Dudley and Mervyn became friends. The smudgy piece of cheese in the India-Pakistan context is the fog of war. Clean it and you would probably see as clear as daylight that 'terrorism' is a political problem, not a law-and-order issue. It can be best tamed by peaceful discussions, not war. The tragedies of Gaza and Ukraine are instructive. The writer is Dawn's correspondent in Delhi. [email protected] Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2025