Dear anyone quick to post on social media without full context on a subject to stay woke, who suffer from West savior complex (the desire to help but does more harm than good) commenting on the current conflict between Israelis and Palestinians,
The most important thing to know is that we need prayers. The rest is commentary. ❤️
(The photo on the left I took in the summer of 2013 in Caesarea and the photo on the right I took in the winter of 2020 in Tel Aviv.)
Working in the context of Middle East peace will leave even the most experienced politicians feeling helpless at times while figuring a way out of this conflict. Many commenting about what’s happening in Israel and the Palestinian Territories do not live there, have never been, don’t know anyone personally there, have no ties, and have not studied the subject.
You aren’t an expert on a conflict because you looked at some infographics today! Even after studying Jewish history and the region that is being disputed for years, visiting both Israel and Palestinian territories, there is constantly new information to learn and unpack. The infographic you made that is either racist, antisemitic, islamophobic, or xenophobic won't be seen by the governments but your friends will see them.
I don’t live there, I live in the United States, but it is the home of the Jewish people (as well as Muslims, Christians, Druzes, etc). I will never pretend to truly understand what the country is going through. I am thankful for peaceful open dialogue and that many around the world are praying for peace too.
There have been several over-simplified, one-sided perspectives shared by influencers, celebrities with millions of followers (more followers than Jews in the world) who haven't cared to research a complex issue. This is impacting millions on both sides and folks continue to tokenize a fringe Jewish group (it's likely there has been tokenizing of Palestinians as well). If the issue was so simple that it all could be explained in an infographic or meme, the conflict would've been over years ago. Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve better governments to represent them. Their fear has turned to anger. Timing is important for the current events happening during Ramadan and Jerusalem Day. The current events didn't start with Sheikh Jerrah, or with Netanyahu - who didn't start the settlements but hasn't opposed them enough to get rid of them. He will do anything to stay in power to avoid a trial for corruption charges.
Palestinians are ruled by two terrorist organizations, there are no free elections. Mahmoud Abbas the president of the PA (the Palestinian Authority) since 2005, is up for re-election. He has stayed president past his term; with the new turmoil in the region, the attention is taken away from the election. I pray for our leaders to find a solution so we can live in peace. No one should live like this, physically and mentally this is traumatic. The "attack-a-Jew" TikTok challenge of assaulting, lynching, rioting, and the terror rocket attacks, displacing families out of their homes, protests, violence, and rumors need to stop.
Although the eviction of Palestinians is a bit misleading how it has been presented. It is a lawsuit involving Arab squatters on Jewish land, from the time Jordanian forces made Jewish residents leave (during the 6-day war). Jewish settler groups are moving into mixed Arab-Jewish cities and purchasing homes that Arabs have lived in as refugees since 1948.
It’s so important to remember that Israeli leadership doesn’t represent people who are Israeli or who are Jewish just like Hamas doesn’t represent people who are Palestinian or who are Muslim. Trump definitely didn't represent me or many other Americans either. It's interesting how Americans and other western countries point fingers at colonialism while our homes are on native land built by slave labor.
I support the Black Lives Matter movement but the organization gets it wrong when it comes to comparing their struggles to the Palestinians. The struggles are not parallel. The biggest difference is that the Palestinian community has had opportunities to discuss being equal and the black community in the US has never been a part of that conversation.
Not to dismiss what’s happening between Israel and Palestine but other terrible things are happening in other parts of the world and why aren’t others discussing those places? There often is a double standard when it comes to Israel. I always find it hilarious when countries like North Korea, Venezuela, Afghanistan make claims about other countries' human rights violations when they have some of the worst happening on their own soil.
It really is shocking how little attention the Chinese treatment of the Muslims in concentration camps is getting, or the genocide in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, or how a Muslim gay man in Iran was stoned to death, or women in Afghanistan being beaten for disobeying sharia law.
Israel has its own set of problems. Israel is 20% Arab Israeli. There really is no Jewish presence in Arab countries in comparison. Israeli Arabs can have the same rights and can also serve in government, hold key positions in the press and courts. Where else in the middle east can you be openly queer, have the same rights no matter your sex, race, religion, and sexual orientation? Israel! Tel Aviv has a vibrant and growing LGBTQ+ community.
Both Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live in peace and have a right to this land, borders are a social construct. There needs to be a way to peacefully and happily coexist. My thoughts are consumed thinking of my family and friends living in this balagan (chaos) and waiting for updates from them. Some have been serving their mandatory time in the IDF and others are now called into reserve duty. They may not agree with how the governments are handling this but they have no other choice but to serve when they are called upon. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Most of us want peace! You are getting in the way of that becoming possible if you are celebrating violence, destruction, and deaths. We can rebuild structures but we can’t bring people back.
If you support the safety of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, Hamas and the Palestinian authority are their greatest threat. These leaders keep their people poor and use the funds they receive from the States and other foreign countries to build terror tunnels that come into Israel and build rockets to shoot into Israel and kill innocent civilians. If this was just about government leaders (Likud, Hamas, PA) it wouldn't impact others. The PA encourages their people, who they keep poor, to kill Jews, the PA financially rewards them if they are successful. Hamas fires rockets from residential areas in the Gaze Strip and kills innocent Palestinians in the process. 20% of the 1,000+ rockets recently fired from Gaze to Israel have landed inside Gaza, so they are killing their own people. Israel provides warning to residents of targeted buildings in Gaza, Hamas uses their people as a defense line. Years ago Israel gave Gaza concrete and instead of building homes or facilities, they dug tunnels under the border to kill Jewish Israelis. Israel has also provided water and electricity to people in the Gaza strip and West Bank. Most Israelis and Palestinians want peace and to find a two-state solution, Israel has tried negotiating for peace in the past with the PA (Palestinian Authority) many times and they continue to refuse peace, no recognition of Israel and said no negotiations with Israel.
The news/media does make the situation look bad, for everyone saying Jews run the media, we need a better PR (public relations) team. The Arab's have about 99.6% of the Middle East region and Israel has .4%. Now Lebanon has joined Hamas in Gaza, Hamas is an Iranian terrorist group controlling the Palestinians who openly violate human rights and vowed to take out Israel, bombing Israel.
I journal and I keep looking back at my entry’s feeling compelled to share. I’ve thus far had been amplifying the voices of folks who live there and have experience working in the Middle East and adding my thoughts to story posts. I’m nervous nasty and viral comments may leak through. If you have racist, antisemitic, islamophobic, xenophobic/ or anything hateful to say keep it to yourself.
I and others can’t cover everything that could be said on this topic. But I can’t stay silent, even if this isn’t written in the most grammatical, eloquent way. These are my raw (and maybe a bit emotional) thoughts. It doesn’t matter if you have a following of 10 or 100 or 1000, if you can inspire someone to start to learn more about what is accurately happening then it will have been worth it. I've felt sadness, anger, and helplessness feelings and I know my words don't mean a whole lot in this mess, I'm not a politician. Before I form an opinion on a news piece, I read the news in the states, out of Europe, and then out of Israel. I should read perspectives out of South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia too, if you have a news outlet you like, let me know. Even then the story is still going to be biased but at least I can form my own opinion a bit more from all of their takes on the issue.
I have different rights as an American Jew than a Palestinian refugee born in Lebanon or another country. I can visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, they can not, I can move there, become a citizen and pass on my legal status if I am to marry, they can not; I recognize this privilege and that it is not fair. In the occupied Palestinian Territories Israeli authorities have different rules for the two groups to different varying degrees. A Jewish Israeli citizen born in an Israeli settlement can drive to Jerusalem easily, have the right to free speech, protest, build a home; whereas a Palestinian ID holder born in a Palestinian village can not. The same comparisons could be made about the two groups if they are born in the Negev or East Jerusalem, the playing field is not the same.
Notice I've said this is a start for others to learn about this subject, a launching pad. This post is vague and not supposed to get down into the details but bring attention to what’s going on in the Middle East and during a pandemic! We can’t even work together now to try to end this Covid virus rather people’s priorities are to end the other groups' lives?! This piece I've written doesn't feel complete, there is more I'd like to say but for now, this is where I will begin.
If my friends are physically being required to return to the army the least I could do is try to get some folks who don’t live in the Middle East to look into the conflict from both sides. American Jews really don’t have a place in the political sphere on the right or the left, which is why I feel like I have to explain myself. I agree with parts from each but as a whole don't agree with either stance, we don't do well with extremes.
If we want peace and economic development for Palestinian and Israeli people then the paths with Likud, Hamas, Fatah will NOT get us there. As I said about American politics and extremes that's how these Israeli and Palestinian groups operate. Neither side held real functional elections to have a cohesive government and it's getting harder to say Israel is the only democratic nation in the middle east with the trend that is occurring.
We need better than the status quo, we need change. Dayenu, it is enough. It's not just our leaders, as people, we need to change our learning habits and to become more understanding of other's perspectives. This is part of the reason why I am looking into peace studies programs.
We will not only survive but thrive. Startup nation continues to inspire others around the world. We are obligated to create a more just world. I know this generation can be better with fresh ideas and I can't wait to see the work we do in building peace!
A healing prayer for those who are suffering:
Mi shebeirach avoteinu M'kor hab'racha l'imoteinu May the source of strength Who blessed the ones before us Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing And let us say Amen
Mi shebeirach imoteinu M'kor habrachah l'avoteinu Bless those in need of healing with r'fuah sh'leimah The renewal of body, the renewal of spirit And let us say Amen
Mi shebeirach avoteinu M'kor hab'racha l'imoteinu May the source of strength Who blessed the ones before us Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing And let us say Amen
Mi shebeirach imoteinu M'kor habrachah l'avoteinu Bless those in need of healing with r'fuah sh'leimah The renewal of body, the renewal of spirit And let us say Amen
Xo,
From a gal who is tired of fighting and would’ve liked peace years ago but won’t let that get her down a Zionist and Pro-Palestinian. Yes, you can believe that both groups have a right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. If you aren't part of the Jewish community please don't define Zionism or decide what is and isn't anti-semitic.
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