It's Hard to Stay Neutral

I was sent an email a couple of weeks ago. It was authored by a New Zealand resident (someone I've never heard of) who was trying to make sense out of what was happening in Israel. The author, a self-described non-Jew atheist, stated that if Israelis truly wanted to rid themselves of their Palestinian residents, they had the military might to do so. The fact that Palestinians were still there was testament to Israel's not wanting to eradicate them. The author also pointed out that the stated goals (both in words and actions) of the Palestinian people was to completely destroy the "Zionist" state.

I understand that there is a vast difference between Jewish Israelis and their Palestinian neighbours, both in culture and education. It is much easier to persuade misinformed and uneducated people that a particular cause has merit. But even taking all this into account, it is difficult for me to maintain any kind of neutrality when I see the carnage that is occurring. I've spoken before about the propaganda making its way to Muslim lands not directly in the mid-east, and how some people continue to believe the lies spouted by fanatics.

Today, following another murder/suicide in Israel, an accelerated effort to erect an electric fence around the West Bank has begun. Assuming for a minute that there are only a few radical extremists in the West Bank who wish to disrupt efforts for peace with Israel, how will they feel when they realize that the only thing they've managed to "win" through their efforts is death for themselves and complete isolation for their surviving family members.

Many critics speak of the poverty of those in the detention camps. I won't try to deny that conditions there are worse than in the cities of Israel. But there is no one to blame for this situation than the residents themselves, and the neighboring states that would rather see them live in squalour for political gain than to help them invest in their futures. What would things be like if the money invested in weapons were instead invested in farming, commerce, and education?

If Israel is forced to put a wall around these areas to protect its citizens, it will only lead to more isolation, more unemployment, and more despair in the camps. But if that's what is needed to help ensure the safety of its citizens, then Israel will do what is necessary. Israel had hoped to avoid putting up a fence - because such a move, by its very nature, defines a boundary that Israel does not want to acknowledge exists. Perhaps this will give all parties what they want - peace and security for Israel, and a de facto border for a Palestinian state.

But once the fence goes up, who really believes there will be any incentive for Israelis to consider the Palestinians to be citizens of Israel, with the privilege of working within its borders.