ISRAEL WRAP UP

     Today we wrapped up the case study about the Israeli and Palestinian conflict after we had our last arabic class (where we read part of the Qur'an in Arabic!). We talked about our thoughts about the issue and final comments. It was emotional for me because the issue is so important to me. When we were asked about what we should do with Palestinian refugees, it triggered alot of emotions. I talked about how I think the refugees should have a say in what happens, and they are important, but where was the support for the Jews when they were expelled from everywhere? Right now, everyone is so concerned with the Palestinian refugees, but no one was concerned with the Jewish refugees and how they were so mistreated. There was no outcry about that, but there's so much outcry about the Palestinian refugees. I guess I have some resentment and jealousy because my family didn't have the same/any support when they were refugees kicked out of their homes just because they were Jewish. Yes they would have liked to go back, but they couldn't. But a big concern for the world now is making sure Palestinians who are out of Israel can go back. The Jews were fair to the people in history. In Gaza, that's not always the case. It's ruled by Hamas (an Islamic extremist group) and there are many restrictions on women and human's rights issues. Why are they better than my family who were kicked out of their homes too? And hundreds of thousands of other Jews who went through the same situation throughout history.
    Noah could tell I was passionate about the Issue and it was a really personal for me. So he asked a follow up question something like, "Many would say that because of what the Jews have been through, they would know better than anyone not to mistreat refugees or displace refugees. And the Jews had the opportunity to rule fairly and they didn't. What would you say about this?" (This wasn't the exact question but something like it). I said in most or at least many cases the Israelis are fair. In the army they have training about civility and how to go about things without being unfair and causing destruction. But, the news is plagued with exceptions about Israeli soldiers who do undoubtedly horrible things, but they do not represent the status quo. They are the exceptions, not the rule. But because of the publicity of these people and situations, many people consider them to be the status quo, when in reality it's not. I also said I don't like how people say Israel had the "opportunity" to rule fairly and not displace refugees. The first day Israel was recognized, it was attacked by 6 different surrounding countries. I think that set the tone for the type of country Israel would need to be in order to survive. A country based on security, and over-protectiveness, rather than one that is completely friendly and "fair." Israel could have had the opportunity to govern differently had the Arab countries not provoked them right off the bat. When Arab countries complain about Israel's tactics, I feel they are hypocritical in ways, because their actions partially caused the actions of Israel originally. They set the tone for the country and the area, and they aren't happy about how it's turned out, but they should take some/alot of responsibility for it. I talked about how there are Israeli hospitals that treat the same people that try to kill them. I know of people who worked in Israeli hospitals that would treat Palestinian bombers, who had to quit because everytime there was something on the TV about a suicide bombing killing Israelis, they would all cheer, even though those Israelis are the same ones helping them. In history, the Jews have been peaceful, not trying to conquer, convert, or kill other people, but just try to live in peace with them (generally speaking). That did not work out for them time and time again. The Jews finally stood up for themselves and claimed a Jewish State, Israel, a safe home, and they get criticized for it. Although other countries that go in and conquer and kill thousands and millions don't get criticized. People forget that Jews had no home, so they turned to Israel. They are the victims, not the perpetrators as many would like to think. The Palestinians are victims too though, which makes the situation that much more complicated. I talked about other things too, but these are just some.
     It was very emotional for me to deal with this issue. In part because I was around people who did not support Israel at all, and thought of the Israelis as the perpetrators and abusers of human rights. This made it a lot harder to deal with.
     In this post, I am undoubtedly being biased and I completely understand that right now. Although, in general I can see and understand both sides. I see the side of the Palestinians, and the side of the Israelis. However, I cannot completely get rid of my resentment and feelings. I support security and safety for both the Palestinians and the Israelis, and this week I've learned alot about both sides, and I think I generally have not been being too biased this week, but I can't deny that the bias is there.

ISRAELI PALESTINIAN CONFLICT: Our day meeting with experts about this issue

     This is a long post but you should still read it :)

     As I've already written, this week's case study is about the Israel Palestinian Conflict. Today we met with 2 experts to talk about this issue. We first met with Ghaith al-Omari, a negotiator for Palestine. He has negotiated in the Camp David Accords and has worked for the Palestinian President and Prime Minister. He has been crucial to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Although he has some bias, it was extremely hard to tell and he kept the facts straight. You really could not tell what he thought about the issue because he was so even-sided. Right now he's the Advocacy Director of the American Task Force in Palestine (ATFP). Bios of the 2 people are at the bottom

     After we met with him, we skyped with a student who was at SEGL last semester. He's from Palestinian descent and now lives in Jordan and goes to the King's Academy in Jordan. Legitimately the King's Academy, like the actual king of Jordan, King Abdullah. He talked about his standpoint. Also, King Abdullah talked to his class yesterday and said some pretty interesting things. The King said that if negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis break down now, there will be a huge war this year. The king suggests to support everything that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu says, so Israeli cannot say that Arab countries don't want peace. They argue that they want peace just as much as anyone else. This student was very calm about this issue and level-headed. From his perspective, he says that the Jews were openly welcomed to Palestine when they first came, and that the Jews massacred many when they got there. I don't necessarily believe all of this, but it's good to hear another perspective.

     After that we met with Robert Satloff, the Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. he was so knowledgable and I learned alot from him (and of course Al-Omari too). He went through alot of history with us, and then went into modern day problems. he said the issues started as inter-communal conflict, and then changed to international conflict. He says that resolving issues between states is much easier than resolving issues within the state. Many of the problems between Israel and the other states are alot better now, but the inter-communal issues between the Palestinians and the Israelis is definitely still there, and that is a major issue of course. He answered alot of questions like:

(Roughly)

When did the public start viewing Israel as the perpetrator and the not the victim? ( I asked this)

He said that after the 6 day war in 1967 the Israelis were viewed differently, and viewed themselves differently. They showed unbelievable strength and crushed all the countries that attacked and took land. He argues that after this, Israel became the Goliath, and the Palestinians became David, as opposed to a few years before. Backing up this point, there are less Palestinians in Israel than Jews, so Jews are more prone to become Goliath because they are the majority.

What do we do with Jerusalem?

He says that this is the hardest part. Most attempts at negotiations postpone dealing with Jerusalem until the rest is figured out so negotiations don't break down early. They haven't got that far yet, but in theory this is what would work. ]

     Sidenote: Negotiations have been going on for 17 years, Now is the 9th or 10th attempt. Dr. Satloff and Mr. al-Omari have been involved in the negotiations for the entire 17 years.

What do both sides have to give up for peace?

The obvious is land. But what they have to give up is more psychological. They will have to give up part of their Nation's story, and will in part have to recognize the validity in the other side's story.

Will the moratorium end on settlements affect the negotiations?

Both him and al-Omari say it will not affect the negotiations. The Palestinians won't walk away from the table now because there is so much at stake and everyone knows it. If they walk away, settlements continue, there's more conflict, and they don't gain anything. "The Palestinians will get over it."

What do other countries want?

There is a big debate about the importance of the conflict between nations. Many argue it's so relevant because of the worlds' massive muslim population. Maintaining the conflict was/is good for many countries, like Syria, that use the conflict as a distraction from what's going on in their own countries. Syria is not democratic, and often changes the subject to Israel to avoid talk an bad publicity about not being a democracy.

Are their big human rights issues in Gaza and the West Bank? If Palestine becomes a state, will it be just another state with human rights abuses that the US has to deal with? If Hamas comes to power is there a concern that Palestine could become like Saudi Arabia? (My Question)

Gaza has no political life, and there are very strict rules limiting women's rights. Because Hamas (which is in control of Gaza now) wants to rule by Sharia law, it's a concern that if they got power the country could become like Saudi Arabia and have horrible human rights issues. 

Those are just a few of many questions asked throughout the day.

I have alot of opinions on the issue. I'm Jewish, and a Zionist, and I think I believe in a 2 State Solution. It's also kind of upsetting to me though that after all the Jews have suffered, we can't even get a land as small as Rhode Island. I understand why though, but it is still kind of upsetting. After all that the Jews have endured, I think Israel as a Jewish state is justified, which many do not think. 

     Before I came here to SEGL, I had never met anyone who was anti-Israel. In the first week, a girl here asked me, "Are you a Zionist?" I was like "What? Of course I am." To me,  all around where I've been raised being Jewish pretty much implies that you are a Zionist, so I've never really classified myself as a Zionist before, just a Jew. When she told me that she was anti-Israel, I was shocked. I soon found out she wan't the only one, which was weird to me because pretty much everyone around me supports Israel. In the first few weeks, there was heated talks about Israel, Palestinian Protests next to the school, and the peace talks were happening (we were at the State Dept. the day they were happening here) so we were kind of thrown into the subject right off the bat. 

     I will always support Israel, though I don't always support everything that they do. But, I understand why they do it in alot of cases. The first day Israel was recognized as a state, it was attacked by 6 different countries! That really tells Israel that they can't be a fully "friendly" state, but a cautious and overly-defensive one. Israel has been known to preemptively strike, but situations like this explain why. They have a reason too after what they've faced.

    Today I found myself wondering, "Why weren't people ever the least bit concerned with the Jewish refugees who were kicked out of all their homes everywhere? And now everyone is so concerned with the Palestinian refugees?" This was kind of a selfish, biased, opinion, because my family has historically been subject to anti-semitism. My name is "Star"because my family had to cut it down because people wouldn't hire Jews. I feel like of course we should be concerned with the refugees. It's not a good situation for them, but it wasn't a good situation for the Jews for thousands of years but did anyone care then? It kind of frustrates me. People were saying how it's unfair that Palestinian refugees can never go back to their homes but they want to. Don't you think the Jews would have liked to go back to their homes? Of course, but they couldn't. Jews had no home but Israel because they were mistreated everywhere, and I feel that should be taken into consideration without dwelling too much on the past.  Since when did other countries get scorned for displacing refugees? They didn't. But now Israel is? This frustrates me. This however, isn't an excuse to not care about the refugees, it's just kind of frustrating.

    I have alot of opinions, many conflicting on this issue. I think there's alot of propaganda, some of which I've fallen for, I have to admit. I really just don't know. I support Israel, but I don't support everything they do, I guess I kind of have to leave it at that for now.

Things I've learned and/or facts of the day:

• 700,000 people fled when Israel was created
• You can't negotiate history despite attempts from Israel and Palestine
• Negotiations broke down in 2000 followed by massive violence
• Major mindset of both sides, "The other side is out to get me"
• Most people on both side want 2 state solution, but an equal amount don't think the other side wants it
• Right now in Negotiations, we know where we want to go, but not how to get there
• Anti-Americans in the Middle East pull the Palestinian card to get people mad
• On this issue, Washington is more progressive than the rest of the country which is unusual
• Negotiations will probably continue despite the end of the moratorium, and they don't think there would be a war if they failed as King Abdullah says
• Camp David went for all or nothing, so they got nothing
• Peace deal is like a divorce
• If you can't get all you want, look at the minimum of what you need
• Don't integrate Hamas into the process unless they change their views. The US did this with the PLO, didn't involve the PLO in negotiations until they changed their views
• To have constructive negotiations, public messaging that comes from both sides needs to be positive; Code of Conduct
• Palestine will not have an army. This is good because the Government can't waste money on unnecessary military spending.
• Have Americans at border of the 2 states because neither side will want to anger the US
• Embargo on Gaza hurts the people not the leaders
• PLO and Hamas fight over who defines palestinian policy
• Positive changes since 1999: 1) Today we know what the goal is 2)we know the outlines of the deed (1967 lines) 3) there's a palestinian realization that it's not only an issue of diplomacy

• Dr. Robert Satloff is the only non-Arab to host an Arabic show
• Conflict started out as inter-communal conflict and turned into international conflict quickly.
• There's about 14 million Jews in the World, 6 million live in Israel
• 1/3 of the Palestinians in the world live in Israel (West Bank and Gaze specifically)
• 1967: 3rd ward, 6 day war, Israel defeated all the countries.
• Henry Kissinger (Nixon's Sec. of State) made idea of making the US indispensable to both states
• "Good fences make good neighbors."
• Iran used to have good relations with Israel until the Iranian revolution
• Because of personal experience, both sides are pessimistic about 2 state solution even though the majority support it.
• International Peacekeepers flee if there's no peace

Ghaith al-Omari: http://www.americantaskforce.org/staff/ghaith_alomari

Robert Satloff: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC10.php?CID=11

PHEW!!! THAT WAS  A LONG POST!

      

     

This week's case study....ISRAELI/PALESTINIAN CONFLICT!

This week's case study is about the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. It will be intense, but I'm extremely excited. Check out the blog later this week to see what we've been doing on this case study! :)

Today we did a 2 hour overview of the conflict and it was really interesting.