Louis Phlips: Blog 1

Visiting Jerusalem, it quickly became obvious to me that the British, Byzantines, Crusaders, Romans, Ottomans, and Arabs did not cultivate this land. The Israelis cultivated the land while at the same time preserving its rich archaeological history, and insist that they remain forever.

Millions of religious pilgrims go to the Holy Land each year in order to visit what was, not what is. For example the famed “Via Doloroso” traces the presumed path that Jesus walked to Golgotha; it is merely an arbitrary walk through 14^th century streets build out of the rubble left over from the numerous destructions of Jerusalem’s past. The Israeli government helps perpetuate the mystical, romantic illusions of the past. Even while visiting the old city of Jerusalem at night I observed how the city was bathed in soft, rosy artificial light. But the rosy view only masks the chronic and century-old tension that has gripped Jerusalem and the nation of Israel at large.

The tension lies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has caused suffering and brought destruction to both Israelis and Palestinians.  The solution to ending the tension and conflict would be a compromise between Israel and the Palestinian Authority resulting in a peaceful two-state solution. Many Israelis express pessimism regarding a possible compromise; they believe that there is no good will on the Palestinian side and that they will never agree to any deal Israel offers them. When reading the Hamas Covenant, it became very clear to me how difficult it would be to negotiate a compromise when political organizations such as the Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas completely disagree on many key issues.

The Hamas covenant, which outlines the party’s ideals and viewpoints, reads like a modern-day version of “Mein Kampf”. The document quotes Islamic religious texts in order to provide justification for fighting against, and killing the Jews. In one passage, it claims that “there is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors” (Course packet, page 227). With statements such as this, Israeli pessimism towards a two-state solution is very comprehensible.