It has been almost a week that I lost my mojo. I plod along, accomplishing my goals for the day. But, I feel sad and hopeless. The murder of six hostages certainly affected me. The tragedy hearkens back to October 7 and then to other senseless acts of the past--mass shootings, massacres in conflict torn countries like Rwanda, the plight of the Uyghurs, the murder of George Floyd and numerous black men, the sniper of 2002 in Maryland, and 9/11. The extremely tight race for U.S. President is equally mind boggling and depressing, but I continue to write postcards and letters. I must have a glimmer of hope. Did you know that the election conceivably will be decided by a "handful" of "undecideds," who do not follow the news? No wonder I am down.
Israel weighs heavy on my mind; the politics of the region have disturbed me since I was a teenager. I distinctly remember asking my mother as a 14 or 15 year old about the Palestinians. Of course, she was not the one to ask, already traumatized by the Nazis and loving Israel. The contrast between what Israel has accomplished in contrast to the Palestinians has been a source of bewilderment and concern for me. As I grew more sophisticated in my thinking and learning, I realized there were two sides to every story.
In 2013, I personally experienced the barriers to Palestinian progress due to draconian Israeli regulations, including unfair advantages given to Jewish settlers who rudely invade Arab villages. But still, but still. Are there Gazans who believe that violence begets more? What about the physicians who patch people up? Are they all affiliated with Hamas? Teachers, potential community leaders? Are they so discouraged, that violence is the only option. They were kicked out of their homes. But the Jews who developed modern Israel were also forced to leave their homes, countries, and regions.
I have listened and admired several wise Palestinians and Israelis over the years. These brave men and women engage in dialogue with similar thinking Palestinians, Israelis, Jews, and Muslims. I had faith that their small acts could change the course of the recent history in Palestine and Israel--a continuous series of tiny steps would influence the conflict and violence of the past. Groups, such as Combatants for Peace, Parents' Circle, Ne'eve Shalom or Wahat Salaam have brought individuals, once considered enemies, together to become close friends and comrades in the never ending quest for an end to war.
My cousins in Israel also exemplify hope for peace. Alon Liel and his wife Rachel Liel, have worked tirelessly in this arena of political and cultural exchange. Alon was in the diplomatic corp for many years and was Israel's Ambassador to South Africa. A Yom Kippur War hero, he accomplished small and large actions for change, one of which is his involvement in a joint Palestinian/Israeli soccer team. Rachel was the executive director for NIF (New Israel Fund) a liberal organization which focuses on the underserved and ignored in Israel. She continues to be a warrior for peace.
My other cousin is salt of the earth; a delightful father and grandfather who does not have an enemy. Ralph Salinger works tirelessly in his farming village, eventhough he is past retirement age. In an earlier life, he lived in England and New Zealand as an educator. Ralph has traveled to Lithuania over the last decade or two to help the residents of small villages reveal the attrocities their ancestors commited with the Nazis. Ralph has aided towns rejuvenate previously destroyed Jewish cemeteries, evidence of a precious history.
Aziz Abu-Sarah is a Palestinian peace activist, journalist, social entrepeneur, author, and educator. I had the pleasure and privilege to be guided by him on a dual narrative journey to Israel and the West Bank. He exemplifys the peace movement, and I hold him in the highest regard. He travels from hemisphere to hemisphere and continent to continent, dialoging and encouraging his audiences to tell their stories. He has always engaged with his peers from Israel.
The present is perpetually October 8. The situation drags on; my sympathies alter from day to day, shifting like the sands on the beaches of Gaza. Recently, I read an article, about the tunnels in Gaza, in The New York Times. I along with other Americans, learned about the "tunnels" dug by Palestinians. So, I visualized humans burrowing like moles underground to reach Egypt and Israel, creating crude passages as they shoveled by hand. How wrong I was. These so-called tunnels are a highly sophisticated, intricate, fortified city underneath the strip of land we know as Gaza.
Tunnels reinforced by various materials run for miles and miles, leading to large and small spaces at different levels beneath the earth. Factories for constructing weapons and parts are underground, as well as living quarters. Civilians permit access to the underground system in their homes. Fighters use spiral staircases and elevators to reach the subterranean city. There is no longer a question that Hamas builds the tunnel systems everywhere, especially beneath schools, hospitals, and mosques. Israeli soldiers have discovered sheds, shafts, and communication centers in the underground fortress.
It would take years to disable the tunnels. The process would result in additional, unimaginable deaths in Gaza. I cannot see how peace and a two state solution can occur, considering a readiness for war on both sides. Israel uses the Iron Dome to disable missles and the IDF to attack. The Palestinians plot terror in underground warrens, simultaneously sending missles to Israel.
A large segment of the Israeli population is hawkish about conflicts with Palestinians, the extremist settlers being the worst offenders. I have seen the settlements, and the situation would trigger anger in anyone. Beautiful, air conditioned communities with ammenities, such as recreational spaces and good schools (settlements) as opposed to dusty, cramped villages consisting of patched-together housing with limited utilities such as power and water. I need not go into all the details which have been well documented--different building structures, infrastructure, highways, and procedures at checkpoints. Israelis whiz through guard stations, and Palestinians wait for hours in the hot sun to pass through. The IDF often ignores the misbehavior and/or criminal acts of the settlers; and, simultaneously treat the Palestinians brutally and at the very least, roughly.
Will the peace heroes of Israel and the West Bank continue to be a force for positive change? Or is that era over? I do not know. I certainly hope not. It appears that democracies are losing their power to restrain extremist leaders, for example Trump and Netanyahu. Democratic nations are weakening under the strain of special interest groups that enable leaders to act with impunity.
Glimmers of hope appear and disappear--a Shabbat service spent outside on a mild evening; a hike in the woods; a service project; a melody; and young children.
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