Today was our last meeting with Zeev Ben Shachar, someone who we have met with numerous times both in Cleveland and here in Israel. He spoke to us about different narratives, the Israeli and Palestinian stories. I can say there were some things he said that I agreed with and some I didn’t because either I truly didn’t or didn’t want to. Either way, he spoke impartially about this subject so that’s my goal for the following blog.
You hear about an attack by a Muslim on an israeli Jewish school, do you think terrorist or militant? You are traveling Israel and go to the Old City, are you entering the West Bank or Judea-Samerea? The 1967 war just ended, did an occupation begin or a reunification take place? These are the questions that should run through your head when you think about these topics because there are some very controversial terms in Israel reguarding the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I know what my answer to these questions would be without thinking about it, is it that easy for you to so the same? Do you have solid understanding of your opinions and the root of them; maybe it’s your family who has influenced you one way or maybe it’s a personal experience that influenced you in the other. There are many sides to every story or argument, the conflict here is no different, it’s just that in Israel, the two sides aren’t willing to share their sides with the other, they just care about making sure the other is wrong. This is a natural instinct though, we always want to be right because that means that there is a reason that we are acting a certain way, it also gives the glory of But what if nobody is right or both sides are right – that is the question with the Middle East conflict.
You hear about an attack by a Muslim on an israeli Jewish school, do you think terrorist or militant? You are traveling Israel and go to the Old City, are you entering the West Bank or Judea-Samerea? The 1967 war just ended, did an occupation begin or a reunification take place? These are the questions that should run through your head when you think about these topics because there are some very controversial terms in Israel reguarding the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I know what my answer to these questions would be without thinking about it, is it that easy for you to so the same? Do you have solid understanding of your opinions and the root of them; maybe it’s your family who has influenced you one way or maybe it’s a personal experience that influenced you in the other. There are many sides to every story or argument, the conflict here is no different, it’s just that in Israel, the two sides aren’t willing to share their sides with the other, they just care about making sure the other is wrong. This is a natural instinct though, we always want to be right because that means that there is a reason that we are acting a certain way, it also gives the glory of But what if nobody is right or both sides are right – that is the question with the Middle East conflict.
When it comes to Arab aggression against Jewish people, this becomes an argument of timeline and opinion. The timeline that the Arabs give is that the independence of Israel and the ’67 war lead to the aggression from the Arabs. The opinion comes from what they believe internally, I can’t argue with them on that, however I can show you the flaws in the timeline. The timeline says that Arab aggression started in 1900 and has continued to the present and that the root cause is declaring independence and the 6 Day War. That seems fair, right? The times when the Palestinians felt persecuted or victimized is when their aggression started, but this is not the case, the year 1900 is 48 years before Israel was established as a state and the ’67 war was 19 years after the establishment of the state, being 67 years after aggression began. So how on earth could this make sense? The aggression began before the reasons given. My first response would be, not to argue with stupid and let them think what they want if it makes sense in their head. But I’m being politically correct here so let’s just say that that’s their side of the story.
The next issue that I would like to bring to your attention is the settlements in Jerusalem. Some say they should stay, others say they should go. Now my opinion in this case doesn’t matter, but yours does. Do you think the settlements should remain or be removed? A two state solution would finally work if the settlements were stopped being built, but if the Arabs don’t agree to anything, why should the building stop? If nothing will please them after being offered many things, what’s the point of bending over backwards anymore?
The last thing I would like to talk to you about would be the difference in the way that the Israelis and Palestinians fight each other. The biggest difference is that Israel is committed to protecting citizens on both sides and that the Palestinians have no problem with killing civilians on both sides. Now, you might be saying, that’s just this crazy girl’s opinion, why should I listen to her. There is an editorial picture that we were shown about the difference in the fighting, both sides involved an armed soldier and a baby carriage with a baby in it, the only different was the flag representation and where the soldiers and baby carriages were positioned. The Palestinian was set up behind the baby, the Israeli was set up in front of the carriage protecting the baby. Now you may be thinking, so what, the soldier is behind the baby carriage, what’s the big deal? The big deal is when the guns are fired, the Israeli is aiming for the Palestinian soldier but may hit the baby because the Palestinian soldier is using the baby as a human shield, the the Arabs are very prone to doing to make the Israelis look like crazy, vicious murderers. But the Israeli is protecting the baby while being shot at, the Israeli soldier is risking their life to save another instead of risking the baby’s life so save his. The fighting is carried out very differently.
So now let’s return to the questions I asked you at the beginning of this blog, do you have your answers now? Have they changed? Stayed the same? Now I don’t know everything no matter how much I think I do and I promise that you don’t know everything either. Sometimes you have to take a closer look to see that happening on both sides to see what’s right. I’m not going to say who I think is right, maybe I agree with both, that’s for me to know, but what is for you to know is where you stand and if you fully understand why you stand there.