Some things considered...

It becomes exhausting, at times, to continue to talk about Israel through the lens of its interminable conflict with the Palestinians. I do make an effort to incorporate other aspects of this land that is so precious to me and billions of others around the world. But sometimes I find myself drawn to it. I don't think that is really a bad thing - I believe many of us are keenly interested in the fate of this land, and we feel a great empathy for the people tied to that fate. It is difficult to know what to make of the century-long conflict in relation to recent events. And frankly, I sometimes become nervous about stepping into the role of an expert. I feel as baffled as anyone else most of the time. More information does not necessarily equate a more solid opinion, although, it seems, less information does.

I believe it is enormously important to be willing to consider multiple perspectives, and I find I have little patience for those who are unwilling or unable to take a hard look at their own opinions and really hear voices that might contradict what they believe. The ability to do so is evidence of both personal and shared confidence, as well as emotional maturity, and while I can't claim to have arrived yet, I continue working toward that goal.

I do not have the time nor inclination to read exhaustively all the reporting on the conflict. I have a few sources that I consult and trust, and I do try really hard to hear multiple perspectives, both those from the media, as well as with people locally that I meet here. In talking with my mom during my nightly check-ins (yes, she still has me on a tight leash - especially under the current circumstances), I realize that reporting on the situation here simply does not fully cover the reality.

So, I'll dedicate another few minutes to an attempt to fill in some of the gaps. Be forewarned - I'm going to call it like I see it, which means everyone will probably be dissatisfied. No one is innocent, no one is the hero, and no one is completely the victim. The one exception I make to that is the children - those who have been killed and injured from IDF air attacks, and are otherwise terrified by a situation they can't even begin to understand; and those who must run for the bomb shelter several times a day when the alarm sounds of another attack from an enemy they don't know (and some have even been seriously injured by those rockets when they didn't make it to the shelter). In any case, my belief in human agency is such that I am rather slow to buy entirely into the separate victimhood narratives that both sides cling to like the very air they breathe, and try to portray to the world. (I believe I'm equally slow to buy into any victimhood narrative, really. Most often, I find, victimhood, after traumatic events have passed, is actually a choice, although we rarely realize that we make that choice.)

I realize as I write this that it sounds rather insensitive. I don't mean to be so. Being forever influenced by my own demons of the past, I do understand that one cannot simply shut off the pain and the memories. But whether we remain victims to that pain is our choice. We can choose the path of healing and peace. We can rebuild. We can choose growth over stagnation. And that is where my faith and hope lie.

I receive email action alerts from a group who tells me of Israel's terrible human rights violations in its campaign to take land from the Palestinians in Gaza. I am told by Jewish Israeli friends that Palestinians are simply full of blind hate and that all they want is to destroy the Jewish State. I hear voices from both sides complaining that the world either doesn't care or, worse, truly wants to hurt them. Both see themselves as the victims in a world callous to their cause. I am sympathetic, but also slightly annoyed by both perspectives. It causes good people to work, instead of on projects that mutually benefit one another, on frightening and intimidating the other, and often on avenging old wounds not allowed to heal.

It is a victimhood mentality that causes one to lash out, to need to get attention. As Israel's popularity continues to dwindle around the world, and public demonstrators shout "Death to the Jews!", my Jewish Israeli friends feel the ghosts of World War II rising, telling them that they must be strong, alone, because the "Final Solution" must never be permitted to happen again. And the world has already proved it will not stop it. They must stand alone against the world. Likewise, against an impossibly strong enemy, who has already taken the bulk of your historic land away, and with the consent of the international community, and who, although torn within itself, so far has shown an unwillingness to stop its citizens from building settlements on what might one day, God willing, be your only hope for a state on a mere 20% of your former land, Palestinians feel the hopelessness that leads them to fight back in any desperate way they can. Convinced that no one truly understands or appreciates their plight, each side fights as if for survival.

Yet it is more complicated still. Clearly the Israeli forces easily dominate in this confrontation. That is not the question. But does might make wrong? This is the question I want to look at right now. And I want to ask other questions along the way.

First, I think it's important to understand a few things. The leadership of the Palestinian people is completely broken. Hamas was elected in 2006, not because the majority of Palestinians believed in its anti-Israel rhetoric, but because it was the only other option to a Palestinian Authority "government" that the people could see was corrupt, serving only itself, and not the people. Hamas was originally a grassroots group and its leaders had done a much better job of helping the people - delivering humanitarian services and some semblance of organization that the PA just couldn't seem to muster. But the world looked on and condemned their free and fair election, pulling funding and support in order to delegitimize Hamas. It had the opposite effect, for a time. Palestinians were tired of the world telling them how to deal with their own governance, and they rallied around Hamas, even buying into some of the anti-Israel rhetoric.

As subsequent clashes ensued, and the Israeli military, always so much stronger and better protected, dominated, Palestinians felt powerless, fighting passionately but recklessly and trying to take any lives they could. Israel, after all, lost only dozens of people to their hundreds. Likewise, in the process, the Palestinian infrastructure, such as it was, was demolished. Starving, unemployed people were told by their leaders, in fiery rhetoric matching the angst they felt, that it was Israel's fault they couldn't feed and clothe their families.

Of course, no other voice countered that rhetoric. Gaza has no free press, nor does the West Bank. Anyone who dares to criticize the leadership is quickly silenced, either by threat or action. The need for total control and unity against Israel, the easy target for a common enemy (remember, nothing unifies people like a common enemy!), is too great.

I do know of one man, a West Bank Palestinian, who has been able to break the code of silence. Khaled Abu Toameh has largely been portrayed as a traitor by the Palestinian leadership, but he is honest and real about the lack of proper leadership and state-building in the West Bank and Gaza. I highly recommend you take a gander at his writings. I provide the link here.

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/author/Khaled+Abu+Toameh

Over the past few years, Hamas has been losing its credibility as well - both within the Palestinian community and among Arab elite. Part of the problem there is that the Muslim Brotherhood, its powerful ally, no longer holds power in Egypt. It feels even more isolated. I believe this is at the heart of the current round of rockets being launched into Israel. Hamas needs to regain some of its legitimacy as the front line against the Jewish enemy. Palestinians has found time and again that their best weapon is actually their own lives. Yes, I mean that the way it sounds. As Palestinian deaths mount, so does anger toward Israel, particularly within their own community, but also internationally. Israel becomes the big bully. So, Hamas orchestrates higher death tolls.

I recognize how sadistic this sounds - but I mean it. When the Israeli Air Force shoots into a home, school or hospital, it is not just trying to kill as many as possible. The opposite is true. They (almost) always call in advance and tell the residents that they are going to target that site (where rockets are either fabricated or launched), and that they must leave. Then they do a "tap" hit, where they send a rocket without the explosive, as a warning shot. They fire a few minutes later. I know of a few exceptions to this process, which is a counter-offensive that, I believe, is more careful to avoid human casualties than any other in the world. The exceptions are when they really want to kill a Hamas/terrorist leader. Then they seem to deem the casualties worth the risk. I find that morally iffy, but it must be considered in the context of my previous explanation of Israel's care to avoid casualties, and the possible saving of life.

What is rarely reported is that Hamas purposefully hides their rockets and rocket factories in homes, schools, hospitals. They know Israel will hit them, and the death toll will be high. This is a calculated sacrifice of its own people to raise international hatred of the Jewish State. Just yesterday a UN representative reported finding 20 rockets in an abandoned Gaza school. This is the reality on the ground. This kind of "leadership" is despicable. It also goes unreported, mostly because of the lack of outside reporting inside Gaza (most of what we get is from Hamas spokesmen, whose reasons for giving the information they do are abundantly clear), that on occasion, the rockets Gaza shoots at Israel actually fail to get out of Gaza. They hit their own people. That, of course, is never told to the reporters.

Another important question is whether Israel even needs to strike these targets. After all, their Iron Dome defense system has worked astonishingly well. Can't they just shoot them out of the sky until Hamas is tired of launching them? Is that what Israel should do?

Actually, perhaps they should. They (hopefully) would cease to be hammered in international opinion, and Hamas would take the (deserved) heat for the continued assault. But Israel doesn't so much care for international opinion - after all is said and done, people will hate Jews anyway. And the risk of losing even one Jewish life (which, unfortunately, has already happened - in addition to some Bedouin lives - more on that later) is simply too great. No, they will do what they must to end Hamas's military capability and end the assault.

This little video of Hillary Clinton talking to Jon Stewart on this topic is really right on. Now, I know many of my readers will be highly irritated just at the mention of Ms. Clinton, but, while I don't especially care for her politics in most things, she nailed it here. Feel free to check it out, if you aren't scared by the big D word.

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/179536/watch-hillary-clinton-vs-jon-stewart-on-gaza?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=Watch+Hillary+Clinton+vs.+Jon+Stewart+on+Gaza&utm_campaign=July2014#undefined

Now, back to my commentary. At this point, Israel looks like the victim. It is not entirely this way, I believe. As I said, they can back off and let international diplomacy work to scale down the conflict. They don't do this because they don't trust the international community. They have to look out for number one. Likewise, they don't shoot down every rocket - just the ones headed for "populated zones." The Bedouin areas do not count as "populated zones." That is rather reprehensible as well. If anyone is defenseless in this, it is the Bedouin, who live in third world destitution, with no rocket warning system. Several Bedouin have been hurt and a couple killed already. If Israel is going to protect its citizens, it needs to protect all of them equally.

The other deep criticism I have of Israel is the settlement project. The previous Israeli Supreme Court Justice Aharon Barak admitted, at my prodding, that these settlements are illegally - both in Israeli and international law. Yet they are allowed to be built, but, even more, are supported by Israeli legal infrastructures. They receive access to Israel's electric and water grid and participate in elections and other Israeli state services. Yet, when they physically attack (and they DO) Palestinians in the West Bank, usually by throwing stones, they are not punished, because the WB is out of Israel's state legal system. Whereas, WB Palestinians are subject to Israel's military justice system, being under international laws of occupation. Thus, if they retaliate at a settler, they are put in jail. Settlers act with general impunity. That is the reality. No real justice or fairness here.

There is so much more that I can and want to say, but this has already waxed long. So, I'll say this. I have posed a lot of questions. I think questions are often more important than answers - especially easy answers. The process of thinking things through and considering the complications is invaluable. That said, I do have a few things I wish would be taken into consideration. First, groups that try to help the Palestinians through attacking Israel in the media are chasing their tails and getting nowhere.  And the same is true of those who simply lambast the Palestinians as terrorists. That doesn't help. What would help are efforts to stabilize life in Gaza and provide adequate education, employment and opportunities for them to improve their lives. Destitution and hopelessness breeds hate. Second, Americans need to understand that there are no quick solutions. When John Kerry sails in to negotiate a peace deal in a year, he is being terribly naive. This conflict was not created in a year; it cannot be solved so quickly. Decades of festering wounds, the lack of education and basic ability to operate in democratic structures are all impediments that take time to overcome. International investment should focus on these areas, with strings attached to the funding so that it doesn't just end up in the pockets of Palestinian elites who benefit from the prolonged conflict. Help people to help themselves. Give them another solution to hatred and violence. I believe they'll take it, if someone is willing to help them.