لحظة ادراك

They Are Chasing Scattered Papers

"Instead of wasting your time gathering scattered papers... close the window." — Francis Bacon

When the English philosopher Francis Bacon observed that the best way to gather scattered papers is not to chase them one by one, but to close the window through which the wind enters, he was not speaking about politics. Yet, perhaps unknowingly, he left behind a metaphor that fits every era—and nowhere does it prove more accurate than in the Middle East.

Here, the world does not concern itself with closing the windows; it busies itself chasing the papers.

Whenever a war erupts, politicians convene. Whenever a war subsides, another conference is held. Whenever a new armed group emerges, a new coalition is formed. Whenever a regime falls, the search begins for another one. But the window... has remained wide open for decades.

The papers are blown from Gaza to southern Lebanon, from the Red Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, and from Damascus to Baghdad, until it appears that the storm itself is the problem. The truth, however, is that the wind enters only because someone left the window open.

In the Middle East, everyone has become accustomed to treating the symptoms rather than the disease.

If Gaza erupts, they send humanitarian aid.

If southern Lebanon flares up, they dispatch mediators.

If tensions rise in the Strait of Hormuz, they send naval fleets.

If militias expand, they impose sanctions.

But the one question few wish to answer is this: Why do the papers begin flying again every single time?

Not every conflict in the region is Palestinian, nor does every dispute begin in Palestine. The Middle East is shaped by deep regional, sectarian, economic, and geopolitical rivalries. Yet, for decades, the Palestinian question has remained one of the issues most capable of reigniting tensions, reshaping alliances, and providing diverse actors with political and popular justification for their actions.

Ignoring it, therefore, does not make it disappear; it simply leaves the window open, allowing a new gust of wind to enter with every crisis.

Successive American administrations have generally devoted more effort to managing crises than to eliminating their underlying causes.

Israel, at many stages, has treated conflict management as an alternative to conflict resolution.

Various Arab and regional actors have, at times, regarded the Palestinian issue as a bargaining chip or a source of political legitimacy.

At the same time, the Palestinians themselves have not always succeeded in building a unified national position, further complicating the landscape and weakening their ability to influence its course.

And so, the window has remained open...

Each time, a new wind blows through it.

Sometimes it is called an Intifada.

Sometimes it is called rockets.

Sometimes it is called normalization.

Sometimes it is called deterrence.

Sometimes it is called the Axis of Resistance.

Sometimes it is called the reshaping of the Middle East.

But the papers remain the same...

Only their colors change.

Perhaps this is why the region no longer distinguishes between a truce and peace, between a ceasefire and the end of a war, or between crisis management and genuine conflict resolution.

A period of calm that is not built upon a just settlement resembles papers that have merely been rearranged on a table, while the window remains open.

**In Conclusion**

Bacon's wisdom was never merely a lesson in organizing desks; it was a lesson in organizing ideas.

A wise statesman does not spend a lifetime chasing consequences. He searches for causes.

He does not concern himself with gathering the papers after every storm; instead, he asks: Who left the window open?

The Middle East is likely to remain vulnerable to recurring cycles of escalation as long as its underlying causes remain unresolved. Many observers argue that achieving lasting peace requires addressing the Palestinian question within a broader framework that also encompasses the legitimate security concerns of all parties, stable regional arrangements, respect for international law, and the development of institutions capable of preventing the return of violence.

The papers do not keep scattering because the wind is evil...

They keep scattering because, for a very long time, no one has decided to close the window.