إسرائيل و فلسطين.ישראל ופלסטיןIsrael and Palestine

You, an Israeli TeenYou’re an Israeli teen, spending the day at the mall with your

friends. As you pass through the crowded throngs your eyes automatically dart around for suspicious characters and people wearing baggy clothes. Your greatest fear is that one of the businessmen walking by you is a suicide bomber. Suicide bomber. What an awful word. How can you defend yourself against someone who is willing to give up his or her life (Frank, pgs. 91-92, 110 and Stein)?Suddenly, one of your friends nudges you and points. “Look at him.” Following their hand, you see a tall young Palestinian man wearing a baggy sweatshirt, beads of sweat on his forehead despite the cool air. You gulp, your throat suddenly dry. He looks just like the typical suicide bomber that has been described to you. Whispering to your friends, you steer your small group in the opposite direction, heart thudding. There’s no point in telling the mass of people-if he is a suicide bomber he would detonate the bomb if any one tried to stop him. Your only hope is that this won’t turn into tomorrow’s headline (Frank, pgs. 91-92, 110, and Stein).

There was only one suicide bombing in Israel in 2007, but there are many more repercussions then just lives lost. To the Israelis, this is a heinous crime. But many Palestinians see it differently. They don’t have fancy weapons like the Israelis. This is their weapon (Frank, pgs. 91-92, 110, and the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Suicide bombing is just one of the issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians in this complex conflict. It is also just one of the reasons that the conflict, and the unusual circumstances surrounding the state of Israel have profoundly influenced Israeli and Palestinian society (Frank, pgs. 91-92, 110).

The Israeli Side: Israel’s History

The reason that Jews around the world look to Israel as their homeland is that in biblical times, the ancient Hebrews settled there and lived on the land until displaced by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. But by 1850 a wave of Zionists (people who believe that Jews should live in Israel) were immigrating to Israel, then called Palestine and controlled by the British. After the Holocaust, many Jews started moving there, deciding they needed a country of their own. They got it. In 1949 the state of Israel was established after the War of Independence, or as Palestinians call it al Nabka, the catastrophe (Frank, pgs.13-14, 18, and 52).

Life in IsraelIn it’s more then 50 years of existence, Israel has never been at total peace. It was built on a foundation of fear, the countries that surround it rejecting Israel from the start. Even today, with their strong army and advanced weapons they can’t guarantee their citizen’s safety while praying or in public. The “peace” there, when it is in place is very unstable (Frank, pgs.101-104).

The second Intifada, or uprising of the Palestinians and Arab-Israelis was sparked by a single man; Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount, protected by 1500 policemen (to be fair, Sharon was already a very controversial figure). Also, while Israel is built on Judaism, Judaism also divides it. For example, is it fair that super-orthodox Jews, who are excused from the military service that is mandatory for other Jewish Israelis have a say in what kind of food restaurants serve (Frank pgs. 96-97 and 106, and Hellman)?

One factor that has helped Israel survive this long is their strong army. Every Israeli citizen, except for deeply religious Jews and Arab-Israelis must serve. Another is their economy, and the fact that Israel is considered a developed nation. They may have a lot of desert land and limited water, but they put what they have to good use producing a lot of food. Educated citizens and money should be considered weapons (Frank, pg. 55).

The Palestinian SideImagine you’re that Palestinian teen that the Israelis thought was a suicide bomber. It must feel awful to have people mistake you for a killer. Could you ever really feel at home in present day Israel, despite the fact that your family has lived there for generations (Frank, pg. 107)?

Palestine’s SidePalestinians say they’re descended from the ancient Philistines and Canaanites that lived in Biblical Israel. They have certainly been in Israel for a long time. Before World War I, Palestine was a province of the Turkish Empire, and called Filastin. It was during this time that they first developed a sense of nationalism, a belief that they were Filastinans, not just Arabs or Muslims (Frank, pgs. 21, 28-30).

After World War I, however, the British took over Filastin, renaming it Palestine, their translation of Filastin. The takeover was deeply resented by the Palestinians, who had been mistrustful of Europeans ever since their brutal conquering of Jerusalem during the Crusades (Frank, pgs 25-28, 31).

Life in the Occupied Territories

Really, there are two different classifications of Palestinians- there are the ones who still live in Israel (known as Arab-Israelis), and the ones who reside in the occupied territories and elsewhere. The occupied territories are lands that Israel has captured, but for political reasons chooses not to annex, or make it an official part of Israel. Israel still controls it, even though there is a Palestinian government, and as more than 50% of the population live in poverty, many have to go to Israel for jobs (Frank, pg.107-108).

However, Israel also controls the border crossings, and after the second Intifada they let much fewer people cross each day. Some days you can’t cross at all, meaning no source of income. Also, Israel, while trying to keep it’s citizens safe often invades Palestinian homes without warning, and imposes curfews for days on end. This has led to a generation of Palestinian children who have a deep hatred of Israel, and who have known nothing but the occupied territories, and were widely cut off from the rest of the world. They feel like there is no hope for peace, and that violence is their only choice (Frank pg. 108-109, Erlanger).

You, an Israeli Teen…You and your friends come home from your eventful trip from the mall, having heard no word of a suicide bombing at the mall though that doesn’t ease your worries. The next morning you rush downstairs, looking for the morning paper. If anything had happened, it would be in here. You unroll it, hands trembling. Collapsing on the couch, you let out a laugh of relief. There is no headline about a suicide bombing. But then, you stop, and take another look at the newspaper lying on the table. “1 Dead and 12 Injured in Gaza City Riot” blares the headline. Will it ever end?

There are many unusual factors shaping life in Israel and the Occupied Territories, as you have seen. However, there is still one gigantic challenge that must be solved. The whole world is watching- can Israel maintain a fair and lasting peace with it’s neighbors and itself?

 

CreditsErlanger, Steven. "Years of Strife and Lost Hope Scar Young Palestinians." The New York Times 12, Mar, 2007 1. 7 Apr 2009.Frank, Mitch. Understanding the Holy Land. 1. New York: Viking, 2005.Hellman, Ziv. "The Beginnings of the Second Intifada." MyJewishLearning 7 Apr 2009.Stein, Tammar. Light Years: a novel. 1. New York: Laurel-Leafe Books, 2005."Suicide and Other Bombing Attacks in Israel Since the Declaration of Principles (Sept 1993)." Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs 7 Apr 2009.