So today I had a free day so I just hung out on the farm: Honestly, if you're just hanging out on the farm all day without work, it's pretty boring. I finished my second of three books I brought here so I think from now on, I'm going to explore a little bit more during my free time.
Now, people have commented to and emailed me to get both sides of the story, to hear both sides, etc. of the whole Israel-Palestine issue. Trust me, I've done this forever, I've always listened to both sides and I've spoken to many people about this issue; from Zionists to fundamental Arabs. What I'm frustrated with in this issue is America. Our government has blindly supported Israel and turned our backs when the Palestinians needed us, still do need us. I understand that there were previous Israeli governments that tried to create peace with the Arab world, but Netanyahu is not one of them. I am working on a farm that is surrounded by five Israeli settlements, some of which where the residences are paid by the government to simply occupy the land and pray. Many of you may believe that the Israelis "deserve" this land, either because of religious reasons, or the fact that they've suffered throughout history, or because they've never had a state to call there own. According to me, none of these reasons justifies the treatment of the Palestinians or the support that Israeli has received from our government in the past. The Israeli state has been created, that's fine (we can work with that), but if Israel is going to continue calling themselves a democracy, then the Palestinians need to start being treated as equals (or be released from Israel control all together). They are harassed, abused, and insulted by Israeli authorities (Daoud and his farm is a perfect example of this) and much of the Israeli populace, where is the equality? The way I was judged by Israeli security for simply studying in the Middle East was appalling. Don't get me wrong, Palestinian groups like Hamas are also wrong in the actions they take. I believe that anyone who uses religion or politics to justify the negative or harmful treatment of another ethnic, religious, or cultural group of people are wrong and inhumane. This is what fundamental Christians, extremist Muslims, and Zionist Jewish people do (as well as many governments around the world), and, to but frankly, they are ignorant, naive, and honestly, kind of unintelligent. I am, by no means, against Israel as a whole or all the Israeli people, but something I do oppose is the current Israeli government. Until Netanyahu is out of power or has some sort of sanity epiphany, peace will never be achieved in this region of the world.
I understand this post may have offended some of you or you may not agree with my views, but I would like to hear what you have to say. I've only spoken to Israelis and I've lived with Arabs so I could very well be biased but this is my point of view and I wanted to share it with you.
Luke,
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right about the settlements -- they're, in my opinion, an abomination, and don't get me started on the wall. That said, as you stated yourself, most Israelis don't support the expanded settlements, and look on the Zionists as extremists who give the rest of them a bad name. And you're right, the U.S. has supported Israel through all of this, with rarely a harsh word, even after condemnable acts such as Sabra and Shatila and the Temple Mount atrocities. The Palestinians have lived in a state of what amounts to apartheid for a long time. And that is not democratic.
But the other side of it is ... what will you do to protect your children from suicide bombers? Every single time Israel has attempted to negotiate peace, the Palestinians have found some reason to reject it. Sharing the land will, in my opinion, never be enough for them. And you are absolutely right to condemn Hamas. Statistically, for every Palestinian killed by an Israeli, 10 Palestinians have been killed by other Palestinians. Give them autonomy. What will they do with it? Hamas overthrew the democratically elected Fatah government and took all the survivors out into the desert and shot them.
I'm confidant that many Palestinians want to live in peace, and maybe many of them would be willing to live in peace side by side with Israel. But I have been in the bomb shelter, I have been evacuated because of Katushya shells, I have had rocks and fire crackers thrown at me during the Intifada, and I can tell you that an awful lot of Palestinians don't want peace. Over the last 30 years, Israel has released nearly 7,000 Palestinian prisoners to gain freedom for just 19 Israelis and to retrieve the bodies of eight others. Meanwhile, Gilad Shalit just spent his 4th Passover in a Hamas prison. He was 19 when he was captured, and Israel is willing to give 1,000 prisoners back, including a female suicide bomber who was caught with 20 lbs. of explosive strapped to her body. Is this fair? Is this democratic? Is this humane? Probably not, but Israel will not allow Masada to fall again.
Elizabeth
No matter what, in the end, the actions of moderate thinkers and moderate thought is the only way to achive peace and a solution in this region. From talking to many moderate Palestinians and Jordanians, a two-state solution is what they want. We can't focus on the extremists on either side, however, at the moment, Israel's government is run by a Zionist and therefore, no peace will be achieved while Netanyahu is still in power and is still supported. I agree that throughout history, extremists, on both sides, have caused major issues for everyone involved but currently, it is Israel that has to tone it down. Hopefully, if this happens, Palestinians will follow. But that is optimistic thought which I'm not very used too or good at for that matter. Both Israel and Palestine must compromise and must change, sadly, even if a two-state solution is achieved, I doubt this will end conflict in this region of the world.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would like to clarify my statement, "none of these reasons justifies…the support that Israeli has received from our government in the past."
ReplyDeleteThe way I see Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories are compared to China's taking over of Tibet, America's treatment of Native Americans, along with many other similair actions of stronger governments taking advantage of weaker regimes throughout history. I've never agreed with any of this, that is why I do not agree with the US's support of Israel currently. At times, Israel needed us, now, the Palestinians do, and we are no where to be seen. This is what I was trying to say, sorry if I was not clear.