The Israeli-Arab conflict is unfair. Millions on both the Palestinian and Israeli side have experienced all degrees of death, destruction, desperation, and constant depression. Yet this unfairness is not my point, because I am instead selfishly speaking of people like me.
There is so much information available about the Arab-Israeli conflict spouting from every imaginable public. Whether its in the form of books, magazine articles, news articles, blogs, art, etc, its accessible and expanding. In fact, I feel as if you could read a different outlook about the situation daily. Why is this a problem? Well if I am meant to be the future and I dearly care about all sides involved in the conflict, what the hell am I supposed to do?
Some days I feel as if what I have just read makes complete sense and justifies my previous understandings and opinions. During these 'some days', I believe that there is a chance that I can do something to heal the ragging conflict. I become close from afar to specific writers and dive into their world to comprehend why and how they write as they do. My trust in their knowledge allows for this relationship.
Yet when it is not a 'some day' and rather an 'other day', my understandings and opinions receive a shaking to their core. Skepticism overtakes my trust and I can't have a relationship, even from afar, with a subject that I don't trust. Besides the fact that this continual pattern is extremely frustrating, I think what aggravates me the most is my dependence on their knowledge. Since I wasn't alive for the pre-conflicts, the establishment (1948), the wars that followed (especially the 1967 war), and I don't even live in Israel or Palestine, my dependence is unavoidable. I know that in the end, it would be impossible to please all sides in the Israeli-Arab conflict, yet is it too much to ask for a little bit of historical evidence that both sides can at least see eye to eye on?
My uncertainty in this matter leaves me wary of defending either side, although my opinion about the entire situation sounds something like this: The Israeli and Palestinian governments (which includes Hamas as they were elected a majority in the Palestinian government and rule the Gaza Strip- whether people like that or not since they forcefully seized Gaza, it doesn't matter because they are the ones holding the power in the area) are equally guilty of mistreatment, hate, and lies. The Israeli people and Palestinian people, who are the ones that experience the most daily suffering, need to realize that the conflict's lack of a clear historical background makes it ultimately impossible to say who is in the right and who is in the wrong concerning most matters. They should not forget the past by any means, but they must try to comprise with the information that both sides can agree on and live in the now and deal with the problems in the now. In order to do this, the most difficult task comes next and that is learning to trust each other. Only when trust exists between two parties can a true relationship bloom and change occur. Without this much needed positive, activism, the murderous cycle will continue.
As for confused people like me who possess an unstoppable compassion for the many that suffer there, it is crucial that we assist both the Palestinians and Israelis in order to portray to them an influencing third party full of hope and belief in reconciliation.
I know that I have set this all up very simply since there are many other factors that play a part in the Israeli-Arab conflict and I might change my mind about all of this tomorrow. None the less, there must be a way to heal the conflict and this unfair created confusion only convinces me to seek more answers, listen to more opinions, and persist in my hope for change.
FYI, if you would like to speak to me about anything I've covered above, please do so because I will listen. If you do though, please do it in a civil way and don't yell at me about the issues or my opinions. I'm not here to listen to you fight with me. Talk to me as you would if explaining important matters to somebody you love. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment