Reflection III

While many try to pinpoint one specific obstacle to peace, there are many complicated factors which contribute to the current tragic deadlock.  This really hit home when we went to Sderot.  I was again shocked by what these citizens have had to endure.  The fact that most of the children are traumatized, that their school is a bomb shelter, that they have to switch their school schedules to trick bombers.  It is horrifying.  They’re determination is so moving to me. 

Watching Sate 194, I became emotional when I saw how much the Palestinians yearned for independence and freedom.  They had such a strong connection to their people and the land.  Seeing the people of Sderot, and how they would not leave their homes despite the thousands of rockets into their town, I felt so empathetic to them as well.  Throughout Shelef’s book, Contemporary Israel, The Israelis, and several of the other readings, we have learned how Zionism has evolved and changed.  The readings described how some Jews are not Zionists (such as Ultra-Orthodox Jews and very left-wing seculars), and how Zionist claims to Eretz Israel have become smaller and smaller over time.  They no longer claim the Transjordan, the Sinai, and many have let go of the territories as well.  But seeing these Israelis in Sderot, and how fiercely they endured through violence and rocket fire, I did feel that there is something holding Israel together.  Maybe it’s Zionism.  Maybe it’s just stubbornness.  But I do feel that both Palestinians and Jews love their land.

It was also really eye-opening to see Gaza.  Specifically, we learned from the Head of Sderot Security that Israel supplies 75% of the electricity of Gaza.  They have never turned it off, not even during terrorist attacks.  In fact, the only time it does go off, other than malfunctions in Gaza, is when Hamas targets the electricity plant.  Media around the world has claimed that Israel is inhumane, and the bad guy, shutting off electricity to civilians in Gaza.  And here we see that in fact, this is probably either  a simply erroneous rumor, or actually Hamas propaganda.  This, along with the conference on Turkish/Israeli relations, really brought home how crucial the media war is in this conflict.  International opinion of Israel is something the country has to be really conscience of.