Amanda Kruzel: Blog #2

Today, in our class in MC 390, we had the privilege of hearing Professor Avraham Shela speak on his opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I absolutely loved the lecture. Not only is Professor Shela a walking I-P Conflict encyclopedia, it is also evident that he is extraordinarily passionate about his line of work. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the entire lecture.

I think most of our class was pretty darn depressed/confused/sad after his lecture. His (understandable) negativity toward progress in not only the peace process, but also the Middle East in general, put a bit of a damper on the evening. Yet, having conversations with people after class also reassured me that most of us were highly grateful for the input he had given us on his own opinions. It seems to me that maybe Professor Shela possesses the more pessimistic opinions on the conflict, which, according to his lecture, is increasingly affecting Israelis and Palestinians as well.

It’s interesting, because after talking with both Israelis and Palestinians on this issue, I can understand exactly what he was talking about—the hopelessness of the situation. My friend Mo3tasem, an Arab Israeli, expressed disdain at the fact that I was interested in the subject. “Why do you even want to get involved?” he asked me. “It’s completely useless, do something else with your time.” Similarly, one of my Israeli friends told me that it’s better just not to think about the conflict. He said that it is just easier that way, to kind of put things “out of sight, out of mind,” especially in light of the fact that politicians are increasingly useless/helpless in their attempt to create peace.

So here we see, on both sides, growing apathy and pessimism on both sides of the situation. Of course I am not claiming that two of my friends can represent all Palestinians and all Israelis, respectively, but the stats show that this might be a growing trend since the failure of Oslo.

I am split on how to react to this apathy and pessimism.

Part of me thinks that these two phenomena could result in a self-fulfilling prophecy. As Professor Qing always used to tell my MC 220 class, in IR, there is always the possibility that a perceived enemy will eventually become an enemy, whether it was an enemy in the first place or not. Essentially, disbelief in a peaceful future will itself create a non-peaceful future. I worry that talking too cynically about the future will halt any real effort to jump-start the peace process again.

On the other hand, part of me thinks that I have no right, as a naïve American girl, coming in and trying to be optimistic about peace. After all, I have never experienced any of the things that Israelis and Palestinians are forced to face on a daily basis. I have never felt the horror of living in a bomb shelter for a few days, or having to walk through a checkpoint daily to get to work, or getting Hamas-based rockets launched at my town. I will never be able to fully comprehend what they go through. Additionally, as much as I disagreed with some of the things that Dr. Harold Rhode said at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies on Friday, I could definitely relate to what he meant when he said that he “used to be the nice little Jewish boy from New York who wanted to make peace between the Arabs and the Jews.” Even he, an American, (someone assumedly more distant from the immediate conflict), has become increasingly pessimistic about the process. And in a way, maybe I have too.

I don’t really have an answer to this dilemma. I suppose I believe realism is necessary, but being overly pessimistic can lead to missed opportunities. About 6 months ago, my friend wrote me a letter, and in it, she said, “I guess that's the goal, to find a balance between debilitating despair and unrealistic hope...about finding a balance where you can see humanity for what it is but love it anyway. And still be inspired to work for a better world.” I guess maybe that’s all I’m able to conclude at this point—the world can be a pretty terrible place, but despite setbacks, you just have to keep pushing on and try to make the best with what you have.