Flashback: West Bank Trip

Okay! So about a week ago I did a program that took Americans and Israelis (and others) into the West Bank to meet Palestinians, and then into Israel to meet Israelis who'd been greatly involved in or affected by the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

I know a lot of people reading this have absolutely 0 idea what this conflict is about, so I'll try to summarize.  But just know this conflict is about as complicated as anything could possibly be, and that any summary I give would be sorely lacking.  Please look it up and do more reading, and when you do, please read from a variety of sources and biases, since one thing I absolutely confirmed through this trip is that truth is entirely subjective.

ALSO, if you read this entry, I ask you to read the whole thing.  The first half leans in one direction, and the second leans in another.  Reading only one half would be misrepresentative of my experience.

ALSO, I could be VERY wrong about all of these things.  These are my impressions.  I'm still a beginner at understanding this situation.

Essentially, both Israelis and Palestinians believe that the same piece of land belongs to them.  There have been several wars about this.  Currently, Israel has political and military control over the area.  They've withdrawn their forces from the Gaza Strip, although maintain border control there to an extent.  Israel has partially withdrawn from the West Bank as well.  Here's a little map:


So you can see the Gaza strip in purple on the left and the West Bank in green on the right.  By the way, it's called the West Bank because it is on the west side of the Jordan River.

The West Bank is divided into 3 areas:

Area A - Under complete control by the Palestinian Authority, Israels MAY NOT enter
Area B - Mostly under the control of the PA, with some restrictions
Area C - Mostly under Israeli control.  Palestinians may come here and live here, Israelis may also come here, anyone who wants to build here needs a permit from the Israeli government



You can see that these areas are not grouped in a way you might expect.  There are barriers and checkpoints between most areas, so travel can be very cumbersome. Area A mostly surrounds large Palestinian populations, and Area C encloses Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley, where where's a lot of Israeli military bases and operations.

The dark green is the wall that encloses the West Bank.  I'll talk more about that in a bit.

So the program I did started in Jerusalem where we had a couple hours of training.  We talked about how to behave, how to phrase questions in a non-combative way, how to participate constructively, etc. We also talked about "public" vs "private" space, which is something that has come up a lot since I've been in Israel.  In this case, private space was where we could essentially be ourselves.  But public space was where we had to refrain from speaking Hebrew and remove any outward Jewish symbols, such as a kippah (dude's head covering) or Star of David necklace.

Then we headed to Beit Jalla in the West Bank, which is in Area C.  The hotel we went to is one of the few spaces both Israelis and Palestinians can go to meet.  One of the things we talked about a lot was the rarity of Israelis and Palestinians actually interacting.  They believe they have the same homeland, but they so rarely come into contact with each other.

The first speaker we saw was Ali Abu Awwad:

He's in the orange shirt

Ali heads a peaceful activism group in Palestine. He is a former member of Fatah, which is basically a Palestinian political party slash terrorist organization. He was shot by a settler "on a rampage" and sent to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment, where he heard that brother was killed in the conflict and this made him step back and wonder if violence was really the method that would lead to a solution.  He's obviously very angry about the situation, but now he spends his time speaking to militant Palestinian groups and trying to educate them about other methods of recourse.

He spent several moths in the Israeli prison system as a political prisoner, and his mother spent nearly 5 years in prison..  Prison in this case is very different form how we might imagine it in the US. Palestinians have their own committees, education systems, language classes, discussion  groups etc..  While in prison, Ali facilitated a 17 day hunger strike for better conditions, winning them, including the right to visit his mother in her prison.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from him:
"You don't throw rocks to hurt someone, you throw them to throw out your anger. Violence is the result of suffering and fear."

"After the Oslo Agreement, Palestinians should have changed their program from resistance to changing our community by service to law and democracy as citizens."

-The credibility of potential Palestinian politicians is based on their previous patriotic and violent actions.  You only have credibility if you were extremist.  Although, he pointed out, the same is basically true in Israel and military/combat service. (And I think true in America a lot as well.)

"Armed struggle will not lead to freedom."

He said he knew these things, but still didn't really want to talk to Israelis or even look at them.  This changed a little when Israeli members of PCFF (Parents Circle Family Forum) an organization of Israeli and Palestinian parents who have lost children in the conflict came to the West Bank to meet with his mother.  He met these people and saw that Israelis have the "same color tears" and this really moved him.

He suggested the way for Israelis to begin to mend the situation is to "damage what is in our eyes about you, what is in our hearts about you, don't make the wall higher."  In other words, to do things like PCFF that help Palestinians see Israelis are human beings instead of further distancing them.

He said he then went to Yad Vashem (the Israeli holocaust museum) and realized for the first time that Jews are also victims. (This really bothered me, but late knowledge is certainly better than none...)

-Palestinian suffering, not hatred, is the biggest threat to Israeli security.

-He briefly told the story of a pregnant woman who was stopped at a check point on her way to the hospital and the baby died.

-"Israelis will find 1 million reasons to be right, and Palestinians will find 5 million. Who is right? I don't want to be right, I want to be successful."

-People don't reconcile because they don't know how to deal with their pain.

-Voting for Hamas (the political party/terrorist organization currently in control in Gaza) is not politically the right thing to do, but it was a revenge decision.

-Currently, any Palestinian who says that violence against Israel is a crime, period, is considered a traitor or normalizer, which is one reason it's so difficult for Palestinians to organize for non-violent action.  Ali said this is a big mistake peace activists make.  They need to explain that non-violence is a strategy for freedom, it's not siding with the enemy.

"I won't say that Israelis are nice. They are not nice. They are occupiers. But they are also human. And they are also paying a price."

His vision is a Palestinian State side by side with Israel, and he believes that ending the occupation will end Israel's security problems. He said, "Millions of people live here, they will not disappear, and it is not their destiny to keep dying."

However, he said, dialogue is not a goal, it is a tool, and currently frustrating because he goes to Tel Aviv to give talks and returns empty handed.  Talking hasn't really led to action yet.  "I didn't come to this field for hummus and hugs, my mind drove me here, not my heart."

That said, he's been embraced by even the extremists.  The head of the Al Aqsa brigade, which trains suicide bombers amongst other things, said "I am proud of you for being a Palestinian" and embraced him.

His organization faces a lot of challenges, especially lack of funding.  They don't have the money to make phone calls or attend peace conferences.  He also said sympathetic Israelis are tired of the issue and brush him off, saying they want peace but they don't want to talk about it.  He said the younger generation of Palestinians are more open but also more hungry, and 90% of them have the biggest dream of going overseas to study.  They want to get out, they don't get it.

One thing I think I have to note is that these stories were told with little context.  For example, everyone (including myself, of course) would agree that a baby dying at a checkpoint is absolutely horrifying.  That said, he didn't mention how frequently Palestinian terror organizations use Pregnant women to smuggle weapons and explosives over the border.  They use children and ambulances as well, and then Israel looks horrible when they are obligated to stop these people at the border and search them before they can continue.

Next we met with Hamed Qawasmeh, who works with the UN Office of the High Commission on Human Rights.

He's also Palestinian, although he studied in Israel

He spoke to us primarily about border issues, land allocation, etc..  Some stats from him:
West Bank is 5,600 square km and home to about 2.8 million Palestinians, and about 500,000 Israeli settlers. 95% of Palestinians live in about 40% of the land.

18% of the West Bank, mostly in the Jordan Valley are militarized zones where Palestinians cannot go.

10% are nature reserves where Palestinians cannot bring sheep.  One guy was fined 1,000 shekels (about $350) for each sheep he was caught grazing in a nature reserve.

One major issue is the way justice is carried out in the West Bank.  In Areas A and B, crimes are tried in Palestinian courts.  In area C, Israelis are tried by Israeli courts, but Palestinians, since they are considered enemy combatants, are tried in Israeli MILITARY courts, which are much more severe, as you can imagine.

Palestinians want the Jordan Valley because it is the best land for agriculture in the area.

 He was of the opinion that the wall is useless and insulting and incredibly disruptive to Palestinian life, and that the Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal and obstacles to peace.  He said if the Israelis really want a wall, they should put it on their own land, not many meters into Palestinian territory.

Next we went on a little bus tour...

Bethlehem

You can see the wall under the tunnel and up into the distance.  All of this land isn't settled because it's area C, where Palestinians need permits to build (And as you might guess, permits are not frequently given)

Israeli settlement

This makes the wall not look very functional....

I wasn't the only one on the trip reminded of this scene in Robin Hood, Men in Tights at 1:20

"I'm on the one side... I'm on the other side...  it's not that complicated!"

Note how the wall facing the settlement is much nicer looking than the wall facing the  Palestinians...

Next we attended a panel of Palestinians working in different areas.  Some interesting things they said...

-One guy started a youth movement to fight how much garbage and litter there is everywhere, encouraging his peers to keep better care of their country with the slogan "trash the occupation, not our land"

-One woman recalled how during the Gulf War, Israel enforced a curfew on Palestinians

-There's a camp in Maine (!) called Seeds of Peace that brings young Israelis and Palestinians together for discussion

-One women working for women's rights in Palestine said that women are mothers who build and lead men into action.

-One woman said she'd like to meet more Israeli families, she thinks this would help her understand the Israeli side of things.

-One seventeen year old reminded us that even though they leave so close to the Mediterranean, most of them have never see it.  She described the one time she did, and how she shouted, "The sea! The sea!"

-One of them claimed that Israel's withdrawal from Gaza was just a tactic to separate Gaza from the West Bank and further divide Palestinians.

This last comment really amazed me.  They'd hate Israel no matter what they did.

Then our host families showed up! The host families all lived in Bethlehem, in Area A, so only Americans could have host families.  The Israelis had to stay in a hotel in Area C.

I think this is one of the most frustrating aspects of the current situations.  I've heard lots of Palestinians claim Israelis are heartless, but they've never spoken with an Israeli.  And I've heard many Israelis claim Palestinians are lazy and unable to help themselves or take care of themselves, and would only trash further land given to them, BUT Israelis are only allowed to go to the part of the West Bank in which Palestinians cannot build anything and it looks like a wasteland! Palestinians can't meet Israelis, and Israelis can't see what parts of the West Bank that Palestinians actually care for.  Of course they won't understand each other.

Before heading home, we all did some ice breakers at the hotel. One of the most interesting was when we stood in a circle and someone read a statement, like "I like ice cream" or "I'm separated by law from people I love" and if it applies to you, you step into the circle. Everyone had been to the Dead Sea :)

Joint Discussion group at the hotel

Then I went to my homestay.  BEST THING EVER.

I was the only female on the program who was not an organizer, the rest where guys.  And I was the only female doing a homestay.  Usually Americans are paired up in a homestay, and they asked me if I still wanted to do it even though I would be alone.  I said, of course! I knew I needed to have this experience.  There is no substitute ever for actually being in someone's home and meeting them and seeing how they live, even for just a little while.

My host family was the best! They are Arab Christians living in Bethlehem.  They have a beautiful home near the main hotel that houses Christian tourists coming to see the Church of the Nativity.  In front of their home they operate two shops for tourists: a liquor store and a souvenir shop.

With my host mom, Shahar, and my host dad, Adel, and his favorite Polish vodka

Their home is modest but nice and very clean, with two floors.  It was modern of course, though they share one computer (the girls traded off on facebook).

My host sister, Agnes

Shahar and Adel

There is another girl, Mariam, and two boys, Joseph and... I can't remember the other one's name.

They have a beautiful garden where they grow limes, olives, mint, and many other things.  Adel has 85 rabbits!!!! He eats them.  But before he eats them, they run around in this enormous complex beside his house, with all of these tunnels they pop out of and places to hang out.  He also owns 10 tortoises, many pigeons, and chickens.  Shahar gave me tea with the mint from their garden, and it was the BEST TEA I HAVE EVER HAD.

We sat down, and Adel asked if I liked Polish vodka.  When I said I'd never tried it, he immediately poured a shot (he said I had to try it pure first) and a tall glass mixed with juice for me, Shahar, and himself.  I said I was short and if I drank all of that I would surely get smashed.  He said I wouldn't, not to worry.  So we drank! And I got smashed.

It was pretty good, actually. Are my eyes glazed over?

Everything's funnier when you're drunk, but he was legitimately funny.  He did all kinds of card tricks for me (he's really good at magic tricks, I'm not even kidding.  I was amazed) and then we played crazy 8s while Shahar watched Christian Arabic evening prayers on TV and he told me stories.

My favorite story was of how he and Shahar met.  Adel used to be a hair dresser.  He actually studied in Paris for a year to become one. He owned a Salon in Bethlehem.  One day, Shahar went in to get her hair done, saw him, an thought to herself "That man MUST become my husband!"

A few years later, Adel's brother was dating Shahar's sister and wanted to go to her parents to ask for her hand, but he got very ill.  Adel said he would go to the parents and ask on his brother's behalf.  When he was there, he saw a glimpse of Shahar in the hallway and immediately fell head over heals in love with her, love at first sight.  He suddenly said to her parents, "Actually, can I have both daughters?" And they were married a month later.  They had a double wedding with their siblings! There is a great picture of the four of them cutting the cake.

We looked at photo albums together of their family through the years.  Adel woke up at 5 am on his wedding day so he could do the hair of everyone in the wedding, which I thought was hilarious.  At each occasion Adel pointed out the hear styles that he did for everyone... at Easter, birthdays, etc, and how the styles had changed over the years. It was also nice to see all of the weddings and baptisms that were all held at the Church of the Nativity. 

But we did have some serious conversation, and this is, of course, where things get sad.  I loved my family, and we got along so well.  I want them to visit my family.  I want us all to be friends.  But things totally break down when you talk about fundamental political differences.  It was similar to the experience I had with my Japanese host mother... I loved her, but if we had to, we'd have armed ourselves against each other over some of the things we believed.

Adel believed that Israel controls all international media, which I of course disagreed with him about (I think international media is extremely unfairly biased against Israel!) He said that Israel created the first intifada (violent Palestinian uprising) in order to have an excuse to separate Gaza from the west bank, and he said Israel created the second one in order to have an excuse to build the wall.  He said he personally saw an Israeli soldier give an AK-47 and ammunition to a Palestinian, that Israel arms Palestinians so they'll revolt so that Israel can put them down.  I don't believe this, of course.  

Then he said something that surprised me.  I asked what his vision would be, his ideal world.  And he said one state... but under ISRAELI rule, because the Palestinian Authority is so corrupt!

Many Palestinians believe in a one state solution... except joining the two would mean Arabs are the majority and they'd boot the Jews "into the sea." So it amazed me to hear a Palestinian wanting Israeli authority.

Although since then an Israeli friend pointed out this might be such a nice situation for them, because they wouldn't have to serve in army or pay taxes, and Israel would provide them with benefits, which is the case for current Arab citizens of Israel.

Another thing that shocked me was when Mariam was off to college, and she said she had history class.  And I asked what kind, and she said Palestinian History.  And I asked if, in her 21 years, she had ever taken a history class other than Palestinian, like World History or European History, and she said no.

And I have to say, if Palestinians are brought up without knowing European History, without knowing, like Ali said, about the holocaust, without knowing the history of the Jewish people and their connection to the land of Israel, then OF COURSE they won't understand Israel or Israeli political action.  It makes my stomach turn.

Adel also said something that really impacted me:

"We're not living in a prison in the West Bank. We're living in a zoo." He said they lead their difficult lives, with no opportunity for their children, no growing fields, no jobs, and they just stay in one place, in a designated habitat.  And people come and go, Americans like me, and see how they live, and take pictures, and then leave and nothing changes.

He didn't say this in a mean way, although I did feel stupid holding my camera as he spoke.

Mariam's room, where I slept

In the morning, he made me eggs from his chickens and Shahar made more amazing tea.  So delicious. They invited me to come stay with them any time, and I know they  meant it.  I gave Agnes my parents' phone number in case she needs anything when she goes to Seeds of Peace camp in Maine next month.

The living room

I really lucked out, because my host family was so loving and talkative, and they spoke English.  Others didn't have such a great experience.

Next, the Israeli half of the experience!

First we went to a settlement at Nokdim.  When I told Rivka this is where we went, she groaned and said "Why did they take you there? Those people are the most extreme." And I have to agree with her.  I really don't feel that they were a fair representation of Israeli settlers.

Most settlers I know feel that they are entitled to live there as much as anyone is. Israel has attempted to give Palestine their land many times in exchange for a Palestinian guarantee for peace, but this is never given.  This is where there's a breakdown between the Palestinian people and Palestinian leadership.  Perhaps the Palestinian people would mostly be content if they had complete control over the West Bank.  But Palestinian leadership would not be.  They've refused land compromises and violated peace treaties continuously since the beginning of Israel as a modern state. Settlers I know feel that there's no reason to withdraw because then Palestinians will just want more land, and want Israelis to move back further and further and futher until they're, well, in the sea. That said, most settlers I know have understanding and empathy for the shitty situation the Palestinians have to deal with.

These settlers were more extreme, though.  They talked a lot about how The Judean desert (an area in the West Bank) is where most events in the Bible took place.  They talked a lot about the fulfillment of a prophesy to be there.

They did show the other side of the situation, however. They told about how many of their civilians had died on the road to Jerusalem do to Palestinian snipers. They talked about Israeli soldiers could not take pre-preemptive security measures on the road, but it was their job to follow settlers around and protect them.  So the settlers came up with the idea of one or two of them hanging out at a strategic place int he road, two of them always being there, and since the soldiers have to supervise them, that forced there always to be soldiers guarding. 

They said as settlers they were playing an important role for peace.  They said they were developing land that Israel could later use to negotiate for peace.  They expected they'd be evacuated some day to give the land to the Palestinians, and that the land is more valuable and more of a sacrifice in negotiations if it was developed and had many living there.  This idea kind of amazed me.

When pressed about her sympathies for the Palestinians, one woman spoke wistfully about a time before the second intifada, when there was an Arab grocery store nearby that allowed them to shop, and how they got along, and how the shopkeep would cover the break products during Passover so the Jewish customers would still feel welcome. And she said that "Palestinians need to be citizens of some country! They need to be able to vote. This is not a tenable or healthy situation." Which was good to hear.  Though she also said, "I've never seen an outcry among Palestinians after a terrorist attack against Jews; no remorse, no soul searching."

And I have to agree with her there.  No Palestinians I spoke with seemed to care at all about the Jewish side of the story.  

I checked out the Young Adult section of the settlement library... they have Twilight

Next we returned to Jerusalem and met with Danny Tirza, an ex Colonel in the Israeli Defense Force (army) and the man responsible for the planning and construction of the wall that blocks off the West Bank.  This was, in my opinion, the most fascinating part of the entire trip.

Danny Tirza

The perception of the Wall in the western world REALLY PISSES ME OFF.  People look at it and immediately assume they know all about it.  That it means Apartheid.  That it's the same as the Berlin wall.  That it's some totalitarian thing.  But they never try to understand why Israel did it or how and why it functions.

The wall went up in response to incredibly frequent and fatal terrorists attacks from Palestinians crossing the border from the West Bank.  Hundreds of Israeli citizens were killed.  The last straw was when a Palestinian man crossed the border, got on an Israeli bus, waited until the bus stopped at a school, and blew himself up, killing 19 children.  The army turned to Tirza and told him to make it stop.  So he built this wall.

If you look carefully, you can see where the wall stops in the upper left and turns into a fence.  The "wall" that covers the entire border is only partially concrete, and the rest sensitive fencing, which I'll talk about in a minute.

Tirza answered a lot of complaints I've heard about the wall in a very calm fashion.  Here are some of his responses:

Q: Why is the wall built within Palestinian territory and not in Israel?

A: The first thing to understand is that the dividing line between the territories is a security line, and not a border.  A border is mutually agreed upon, and as Palestine has never recognized Israel as a state, it will accept no borders.  The line was drawn up by Israel in an attempt to come up with a compromise.

The wall is built with careful sensors that alert Israeli authorities when there is a breach.  They've carefully timed how long it takes to respond to breaches at every area of the wall and put the wall as far from Israeli civilians as necessary to allow authorities to respond before a terrorist would reach the homes.  In some cases, because of terrain and other factors, this is right on the security line.  In other areas, the wall is many meters into Palestinian territory. 

Q: How functional is the wall, really?

A: Every night, Israeli authorities catch between 5 and 20 terrorists trying to breach the wall and cross into Israel.  A terrorist is defined as someone who is currently armed or was identified with a terrorist organization (this is a hazy line since most Palestinian political parties are also terror organizations). About 60% of these people are jailed and tried in military courts. These days, 100% of detected movements are caught. 

Q: Why do you need to build such an ugly wall? Why not the fences through out?
A: The walls are that height because it's too high to climb.  Walls as opposed to fences are only build in areas where there is not enough space between the security line and Israeli homes for them to respond to an alert before a terrorist reached the people.  Walls are also built where there are a lot of Palestinian civilians so that they won't set off the alert if they're just touching the fence or hanging out around it.  Israel doesn't actually want to arrest innocent people.  Walls are also build where there is a big threat of snipers.

The wall is ugly because it was build with haste and a low budget.  They're slowly trying to make it look better.

Q: Why do you allow graffiti on the wall?
A: Because Israel is a democracy that allows expression, and it's better for people to take out their anger as graffiti than as violence.

Q: Why are the terminals for people to pass through built the way they are, and security so intense?

A: Terminals are designed to protect civilians and soldiers.  16 suicide terrorists and 18 pipe bombs have been caught attempting to cross into Israel since 2012 alone. 

Q:  Why is the wall so disruptive?
A: It's actually as little disruptive as he could make it while still protecting Israeli civilians.  He spoke with the population of East Jerusalem, with church and mosque leaders, with the heads of organizations, with everyone he could in the area.  He divided areas based on if most of the people in them lived and worked in Israel or in the West Bank.  He built special gates for commuting students, for religious leaders, even a special gate for the Patriarch to past through from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on Christian holidays.

Q: What about the rights of the Arabs sucked into Israel when the wall went up around Jerusalem?

A: Arab committees were consulted about the drawing of the line and all wanted to remain within Israel.  They chose the status of resident as opposed to citizens.  Residents, unlike citizens, cannot vote in national elections, although they can vote in local ones.  They are also excused from many taxes, army service, and police service.  Arabs living within the wall were allowed to choose citizenship.

All in all, the wall/barrier is over 700km long, and not one Palestinian home was destroyed or evacuated in its construction.  There was even a special gate designed just for one Palestinian family that was living illegally on Israeli government land so they could keep their home and commute to school in the West Bank.

Basically, Tirza seemed really human.  He said he built the wall and that he hoped he'd be the one to tear it down, and he hoped that would be soon.  He did the best he could to protect Israelis with as little violation to Palestinians as possible.  He also said that if Palestinians would accept Israel as a state and agree upon borders and peace, Israel would withdraw it's settlements, and that Israel has shown to keep its word on this point if you look at history (Gaza, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon), etc.

Next we went to a refugee camp for settlers who were evacuated from Gush Katif, an Israeli settlement in Gaza before Israel withdrew.  It was basically really sad.  They made a tiny museum to Gush Katif with photos of it (It was a beautiful town on the ocean) and scraps of artifacts... a mosaic made from tiles from the synagogue, the main gate, etc). The town was mostly destroyed when they evacuated by the IDF.  They left the main buildings like schools and office buildings and synagogues... the Palestinians destroyed the synagogues when they moved in.

One thing I noted was a woman saying that when they were told they had to evacuate, she made a ton of food for everyone.  "If we're going to be expelled, we're going to be expelled on a full stomach.  I am a Jewish grandmother.  I feed my people before expulsion."

A former resident showing us the drainage pipe/bomb shelter of the refugee  camp.  It's in an area that gets a lot of rockets from Gaza.

The kibbutz patio

That night we stayed on a kibbutz in the south.  This kibbutz had a petting zoo with some awesome animals...

Hello

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS, BUT I LOVE IT.

The Kibbutz was known for growing garlic.  We found a lot of garlic!

Next we went to Sderot, a pretty sad town which suffers intense rocket fire from Gaza.  I'd been there previously, and learned that 70% of the children in Sderot suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  

This guy collects all the rockets, you can see some of them here.

The parks need to have bomb shelters for children since you only have about 12 seconds from the alarm to find shelter. They painted this one to look like a caterpillar

Gaza border

Gaza border

 Friends at the wall

"Path to Peace" written on the Israeli side.  I pasted a little piece of the mosaic!

Jamie and me at the wall

Meir and me

Then we spoke with her friend, a Palestinian in Gaza, on the phone.  It was pretty amazing.  She said life in Gaza totally sucks, especially for women.  She said women there are under the control of their fathers, then brothers, then husbands, and have no agency and no hope.  Her wish is to get out of Gaza however she can as soon as she can... which isn't looking likely.

What do I make of this whole thing...?  Unfortunately, I think what Jabotinsky wrote in his 1923 essay the "Iron Wall" still applies...

"We hold that Zionism is moral and just. And since it is moral and just, justice must be done, no matter whether Joseph or Simon or Ivan or Achmet agree with it or not.

There is no other morality.

All this does not mean that any kind of agreement is impossible, only a voluntary agreement is impossible. As long as there is a spark of hope that they can get rid of us, they will not sell these hopes, not for any kind of sweet words or tasty morsels, because they are not a rabble but a nation, perhaps somewhat tattered, but still living. A living people makes such enormous concessions on such fateful questions only when there is no hope left. Only when not a single breach is visible in the iron wall, only then do extreme groups lose their sway, and influence transfers to moderate groups. Only then would these moderate groups come to us with proposals for mutual concessions. And only then will moderates offer suggestions for compromise on practical questions like a guarantee against expulsion, or equality and national autonomy."

It's in the Arab world's best interest not to help the Palestinians, because as long as the Palestinians are destitute, Israel will have to deal with this very complicated and impossible situation in which any decision they make makes them look terrible to an unsympathetic and frankly anti-semitic world.

Furthermore, while I am adamant that Palestinian leadership has been consistently terrible, stubborn, short-sighted, and childish, it is not just to trap millions of people in a no-man's land because their officials are incompetent and radical. Palestinians are not going anywhere, and they absolutely need to be citizens of a country. They need complete rights all individuals should have, including freedom of travel, job opportunities, benefits, protections, the right to vote, and of course freedom from the feeling of being caged and second class.  They cannot be absorbed into Israel because then they would outnumber the Jews and Israel would not longer be Israel.  But the status quo simply cannot continue, people cannot live without rights, certainly not under the watch of a modern democracy like Israel.

Many people argue there should be a two-state solution  where Palestinians are given full control of the West Bank and Gaza with a corridor connecting them. The other hidden benefit of a two state solution is when Palestine is created, and they inevitably act violently towards Israel, Israel can strike back, which they cannot do now in the view of the world since they're seen as occupiers attacking people in their care.  I don't want it to sound like I want this to happen - I'd rather the two states coexist peacefully.  But Muslim radicals who believe Jews are pigs and want to wipe them off the face of the Earth will only be empowered by the freedom of their own state, and the violence will not stop, no matter what Ali says.

It makes me nauseous to to think about two states, but is there a moral, viable alternative?  Does anyone reading this have one?  The consequences of a two state solution for Israel are very painful for me to think about. I have so many friends who live in Judea (the west bank). Would they all have to be evacuated? Would they be allowed to live in a Palestinian state, and would they want to? Would it be safe to? Would we have to abandon all of our holy sites? In the past, Palestinians have consistently destroyed Jewish holy sites and buildings given to their care. How much land will Israel have to give away? It's beginning to look like Swiss Cheese. And then of course, there's the spiritual attachment Jews have to the land where their ancestors lived and roamed.  Is it fair that Israel houses, protects, and provides for 20% of their population, Arabs, but Jews would not be allowed to enter a Palestinian state?

In any case, it probably won't happen any time soon. Palestinian leaders refuse to negotiate, Israel will not make changes until borders are agreed upon and peace guaranteed, and if the Palestinian government is as corrupt as my host father thinks, it's doubtful any reasonable leader will come into power in the immediate future.

Through this trip I've come to accept the needs and rights of Palestinians as individual people apart from an organization that has acted poorly. I also made some great friends and had some great tea. In a way I feel more hopeless because I've had to accept more complexities to the situation.  But I also feel more hopeful because everyone loves polish vodka, card tricks, and good love stories.  And that is a good beginning.

I am certain of one thing: we need to talk more. If these potential solutions are on the table with as little interaction between Israelis and Palestinians as there is, what possibilities might arise if there was more exposure? More dialogue? More education? Is there a better way?  I hope we find out. And I don't think it's flaky or naive to say that we need to talk more to see.