Chapter 6

THE EMERGENCY MEETING

15th of Safar 1436

(December 8, 2014)

Alone in his room, Khozem prepared for the emergency meeting of his twelve advisors. He asked his father not to join him at this meeting. He felt his father too weary to handle with authority and vigor the pressing problem of the Jewish colony. Khozem made brief preparations by scribbling notes on a small pad, and as the hour approached he grew excited and anxious.

Khozem would be alone to do whatever he pleased with the Organization. He relished the thought of putting ideas into action, taking initiatives, and implementing a high-octane approach towards a problem which would not go away. He spent most of his preparation pacing to and fro like a leader on the verge of a great battle, like Napoleon at Austerlitz, or gaining full support and control, like Stalin over the Bolsheviks. Although Khozem tried in vain to brush personal glory aside, he could not deny what hid within him. He believed his plans would finally succeed and avoid the malaise his father had brought to an Organization rife with bureaucracy, inefficiency, and complacency.

He sipped slowly his glass of Rooh Afza, the liquid syrupy, red, and cold on his tongue. With each sip new opportunities unfolded with the ultimate aim of agitating the ridiculous peace process ushered in by the land of heathens, drug addicts, and derelics. He knew his father usually prayed before meetings, but Khozem did away with the ritual. He merely paced back and forth hundreds of times waiting in agony for the start of the meeting.

The custodian’s residence was nearby. He jumped into a white, curtained Mercedes, his bodyguards in the front and himself in the rear, slapping the notepad against his thigh, the red liquid still fresh in his mouth.

At the entrance of the residence he confronted two military men, rifles at their sides. They checked his features and determined after a tireless review of documents and identifications that he indeed was the bavasaab for whom they had waited. The elevator doors opened to a long room with a heavy oak table in the middle.

The twelve advisors stood from their chairs. They were covered in white, silk garments. The room was dark and cool, blocking the intense desert sun, and Khozem glanced at each of their faces, smiling as though possessed by some divine hand. Pitchers of holy water were spread on the table. Advisor’s aides were seated at the perimeter, and their eyes were instantly afire and enamored by the presence of the new bavasaab. They held thick folders at their laps, and Khozem smiled to them, knowing they came to his first meeting prepared and poised. Khozem grinned knowingly to his twelve advisors after determining all were accounted for. A new stenographer tapped soft keys on his machine. The advisor nearest to him began his report, and Khozem listened attentively.

“Since its inception, the Jewish colony has been a constant source of pain and struggle for our Muslim people in the Palestinian territories,” began the advisor. “Since then, with the aid of the United States, and the United States alone, the Jewish colony has survived and even prospered to some extent despite our fledgling groups who resist expansion into Arab-held territories. The expansion grows each day and with it comes new and sporadic waves of violence against our people, mostly retaliations against our token bombings in populous Jewish areas such as Tel Aviv and Hebron. Our will, however, has been ironclad. We have pushed for an independent Palestinian state consisting of the West Bank and Gaza, with a connecting corridor, but this simple attempt at aiding four million dispossessed Palestinians has resulted in a complete failure. Currently, the United States and its Secretary of State plan to broker a new peace settlement in the region, despite numerous United Nations’ resolutions condemning the Jewish settlement expansion and the United States’ lop-sided, biased approach towards negotiations, even after the New War. Your holiness, we could continue for hours, recounting six decades of war between the Jewish state and the Palestinian people. We could continue tapping our resources of intelligence in the region and funding missions of violence, but your holiness, our failure at overtaking the Jewish colony is glaring and somewhat embarrassing. This is exemplified by the Palestinian people who have offered peace settlements twenty times in the last two decades. At every angle the Jewish colony has rejected the offers. The Jewish enemy has a staunch and very powerful ally. The end of the New War has shifted the balance of power inexorably towards the Western world. Our soldiers of peace are tired as we have not missed a single opportunity in derailing the American brokerage of peace. We have reviewed the most recent treaty between the two sides, and this Council endorses the current treaty in accordance with its timetable of peace and stability in the region. Overall, we would like to see an independent Palestinian state, not merely a handed-down autonomy. Second, we would also like more land in exchange for an end to more bloodshed. Thirdly, we believe ten years towards Palestinian independence is much too lengthy. More than any single impediment to peace, however, remains the thirteen thousand Palestinian political prisoners rotting in Jewish jails.

“Your holiness, if may I speak frankly, we are all very tired with the ongoing struggle, and now that we see the light, a definite talk of peace overflowing in the embattled region, we strongly believe it’s high time we endorse the current proposals. Your holiness, you are our new leader, and it’s a refreshing change as there is now a new leadership, a new vision, a new hope for peace with our Jewish neighbors. We’ve exhausted completely our funds for increased activity, and our activities have been thoroughly negative. We are all asking for a fresh start and a clean slate. We suggest normalizing our relations with the state of Israel. We urge that you convene the Muslims countries, or the FAC, and work within the framework of the accords towards security and normalization in the region. Six decades of war and bloodshed has been too much for a seventh. We suggest you convene the FAC and deliberate for a period of five months before involving the Organization in any future activity.

“This certainly does not come easily for our esteemed Organization as we have supported our collection of allies for decades of war and bloodshed. We suggest the cut with our allies be made quickly and cleanly with funds appropriated immediately to those dispossessed Palestinians who need it most, namely the women, children, the poor, and the sick scathed and scoured by the violence. We suggest the difference of these funds be placed within our Ministries of Culture and Education for the enhancement and propogation of our faith.

“You see, your holiness, we on the Council believe we may begin a new era of relative peace and security with Israel, and our further cooperation in the peace effort would stabilize the region and grant us access to many lucrative opportunities. Nevertheless the process will be painstaking and gradual, but in the end we will gain immeasurably through our cooperation. It is even conceivable that some of our funds may finance the political parties in the West, so that our faith receives due attention and due process within these governments and their courts. We urge you to accept this plan as our Organization will surely prosper from it.”