Tuesday, July 22, 2014

And We Go Round And Round And Round In The Circle Game

I'm so frustrated about the situation in Israel. I've watched friends nearly get in fistfights or "unfriend" each other over hurtful comments from people on both sides (and sometimes from two people on the "same side"). I've read heartfelt stories about heartbreaking situations on both sides. It's inevitable that war is inclined to divide us, but I think the better solution in a case like this is for it to bring us together - for there to keep being respectful dialogue. The goal should be to stop the violence, not to kill all the Jews or to kill all the Arabs. I've been crushed hearing about the civilian casualties in Gaza, but I've also been crushed to hear about the deaths of Israeli soldiers -- I can't get the graveyard that we visited in Jerusalem out of my head. Now the FAA has stopped flights to Israel, and I'm just sitting here WISHING there was something I could do and worrying about my friends in the army and their friends and family... as well as about the families and friends of the Palestinians that I know. Can't we just accept that this is mutually tragic and try to put the pieces back together without pointing fingers and fighting with each other all over the world? 

Personally, while I think things escalated crazily and unnecessarily over the deaths of the three Israeli teenagers who were hitchhiking in the West Bank, and that it's absolutely atrocious that the Palestinian teenager was killed in retaliation, getting rid of the tunnel network used by terrorists is an important homeland security task. Stopping the rocket bombardment into Israel that wasn't even stopped by agreed upon ceasefires and is targeting civilians is also an important homeland security task. The Israelis have a right to protect themselves. Does that mean that the virtual caste system going on in Israel is a good thing? No. Does that mean that the subjugation of the Palestinians is a good thing? Hell no. But this war isn't about taking territory, and these bigger issues need to peacefully resolved with compromise on BOTH sides - no amount of missiles is going to solve them.

Human shields are a scary and powerful weapon in the court of public opinion. Adding up civilian deaths is an easy way to get the other side to look bad. I do think that the Israelis have attempted to warn civilians and get them out of the way -- but the fact that Gazans are practically locked in their country with nowhere to go and no ability to get in or out means everywhere is not safe. Hiding missiles in and under schools and hospitals - again, a way to get the court of public opinion on your side. If the goal is to destroy the missiles, they need to be destroyed regardless of where they lie. Again, civilian casualties should always be minimized, but I was reading yesterday about two terrorists using ambulances to transport themselves and missiles in Gaza. Yes, those ambulances are then not really ambulances and become fair-game targets.

Again, the whole thing is tragic. No one is in the right. But hopefully we, the people scattered around the world, can stop biting each other’s heads off and come together to lead to a peaceful solution, an end to the violence, and to provide help to the victims on both sides.


I’m not putting this whole thing on Facebook – because it’s too long and because I don’t want to start a big argument. I value that I have friends on both sides of the conflict. I value and respect those friendships and hope you will all respect my rights to an opinion. I also hope, regardless of which side you’re on, you take a moment to also pray for/think of those on the other side. May BOTH sides be safe and this conflict be resolved with as few deaths as possible.

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