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July 26, 2007
The Palestinian View
Filed under: Life's Journey
With the convention ending yesterday and our touring that begins tomorrow, Jamaica and I had a free day. We decided to take a trip off the beaten path and get a little different perspective on life in Israel. Through some connections Jamaica had made back in the States, we made a trip to the West Bank. Hebron to be exact. Just saying the words "West Bank" is making a political statement because it refers to the West Bank of Jordan and Israel doesn't recognize that as the West Bank--it's actually east Israel.
Jamaica and I boarded a Palestinian bus (without air-conditioning!) early in the morning and made the 30-mile, two hour trip to Hebron. We were lead around the city for several hours getting to know the other side. And boy was it another side. If ever the quip that says "there are two sides to every story, and then there's the truth" rang loud and clear, this would be it. Among our observations:
- Many Palestinians still hold on to the key from their house from when they were pushed out of their homeland in 1948 when Israel became an official state.
- Israeli settlements have been built on land that they occupy in Palestinian areas. The Palestinians claim this is a violation of international law because it is illegal to build homes on "occupied territory." (Imagine the U.S. building suburbs in Iraq and Americans coming to live there.) Israel claims the land is in dispute, not occupied, thus international law does not apply in this case.
- The poverty in Palestinian areas is crazy. It doesn't strike you as much as Africa or India might, but compared with their neighbors just 30-50 miles away in cities like Jerusalem or Tel-Aviv, it is significant.
- When I ask why the surrounding oil-rich Arab nations don't come to the rescue of these "Palestinian refugees," the answer I got was that the Palestinians are being used as one big pawn in the game of Middle-East politics. The Arab world needs to have a group of people to hold up as oppressed, otherwise their story loses its impact. It's hard to fight for the underdog when there isn't one. This makes it easier to find suicide bombers among Palestinians as well. Not only is it a way for the Palestinians to get revenge for their suffering, it's also a way for the families of bombers to get compensation for their heroism.
I'm not claiming to understand even a sliver of Middle East politics, nor am I actually passionate enough to do pursue such. However, my heart and head is tugged in ways that make me think a little more before digesting or dismissing my western news filters.
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Comments
Enjoyed your views overall, but some, myself included, would have an issue about the statement that the Palestinians were "pushed out of their homeland" in 1948. There was no Palestinian homeland then, just a settlement of Arabs who generally coexisted with Israelis until "Outside Powers" began to meddle. That continues to be the scenario in the Westbank.
I agree that the Muslim nations (implied) seem to need an underdog.
Though the poverty issue exists, there are reasons why the people don't receive the finances being funneled into the territories. Yet.... people in crisis need help. Please keep on probing the historical facts as well as the reasons behind the reasons. It's only an alive heart and an active head that feel the tugging.
Posted by: Ma in Law at August 21, 2007 10:16 AM