From Israel
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To my family and friends in America (and the West),
I was standing on my balcony in Tel Aviv about a couple of weeks ago. It was past midnight and there was an eerie quiet as we expected a barrage of rockets was going to be launched indiscriminately from Gaza by Hamas. As I looked into the night, fireballs emerged from the South. I watched as Israeli’s missile defense system, “Iron Dome,” launched into the sky to intercept these rockets mid-flight. I had a feeling that I never felt so strongly — fear. Not fear from the rockets per se; knowing my odds that the direct risk to me was relatively low. It was fear that many like me have felt before for thousands of years — that there are people in this world who want to kill me, just because I am Jewish.
Some may dismiss this claim, saying it is about Hamas or Gaza or Jerusalem or the Palestinians. We can debate this, and in this piece I hope to shed more light on what I see are the critical points and frustrations I have felt around the realities and perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (IPC).
If there is one thing that I hope people can appreciate, it is this: This is not a chess board in the game of social justice that should be played from afar, or the school popularity contest where you compete based on virtue signaling. This is a complex place where two peoples deserve security and human rights. In fact, as it is so often missed in discourse in the West, it is that security is actually the most fundamental human right.
I hope this piece will find curious minds and that my own experience can bridge perspectives. On one hand I am undeniably coming from your world — a world away from this conflict. Despite spending considerable time through NGO leadership positions working to address the IPC by engaging US elected officials, Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and everyday people on both sides, I was always on the outside looking in. On the other hand, I am now in a new world, as an Israeli, at the epicenter of the IPC where I don’t pretend to be an expert (I am far from it), but one’s perspective quickly evolves in a bomb shelter not far away from actual rocket strike sites.
As a preface, you may find what you read herein disagreeable, informative, or wrong. I don’t expect to please everyone. I do hope to be honest, perhaps brutally so, but this is with the hope of increasing understanding and helping us to to move past obvious and less obvious hurdles that have made this conflict so intractable. You’ll surely find contradictions in what I say from time to time — I’ll lay out facts and narratives that make this conflict seem un-addressable, but follow it with a need to do more to try and address it. This is the world we live in — no black and white, all grey, and many shades of it, challenged with hopelessness, yet with light fueled by idealism and a personal sense of responsibility always burning.
The order of these series of insights, observations, ideas are in no particular order. If anything, I start by looking internally. I hope others will do the same.
I support a Two State Solution. It is the best means to promote Israeli’s long-term security and respect Palestinian rights and needs. This outcome is imperfect in many ways, but the best of the worst, primarily because it is arguably the only solution to meet three critical personal priorities — maintaining Israel’s security, Jewish identity, and status as a democracy. I want Palestinians to be able to freely come to a state of their own, like I have to mine, and rebuild their own society towards a better future. I am not unaware of the challenges to achieving this reality. In fact, the chances get lower everyday, but its possibility must be preserved until the right opportunity arises. I’m not an idealist when it comes to this. I am realistic that while this is an imperfect solution, it is less imperfect than other ideas, such as a one state solution or confederacy that won’t work for many reasons (as mentioned in report in the above link). I am also driven in large part to this idea by the support of Israelis largest group of former generals, who have articulated the need for this.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is detestable. In all his years, and particularly of late, he only divides to survive and maintains the status quo in other circumstances, while also promoting the policies of smaller groups that do not represent the majority of Israelis. He is a brilliant politician, no doubt, and has done many positive things for Israel, but he is not a true leader, especially one that a country like Israel needs. He has finagled Israeli’s delicate democratic system due in large part to an absence of true values that has allowed him to hobble together precarious governing coalitions, at great cost to the core, moderate segments of Israeli society.
I do not support continued settlement building. Settlements are very controversial, but they are not the core of the conflict. Anyone who says they are doesn’t know what they are talking about, or is intentionally distracting from the core issues. However, I don’t not support them because they’re controversial, nor do I think my lack of support gives up the historical claim to the land, I simply don’t support them because their continued expansion threatens the viability of a Two State Solution. Their existence today can be managed (most are along the border area that can be dealt with through land swaps) and the lives of settlers should absolutely be respected in a Two State Solution. There are Arabs in the State of Israel, there’s no reason to think there shouldn’t be some Jews in a future State of Palestine.
Palestinian governments are a core problem in this conflict. This is on the basis that one is undemocratic at best and oppressive at worst, and the other is an officially designated terrorist organization. The former, Fatah, spends hundreds of million dollars as “welfare payments” to the family of martyrs, i.e. terrorists, with the value of payments tied to the level of violence. The latter, Hamas, is next level…forget what they do to Israelis (not that it isn’t the most important issue), but let me try to pick a topic that’ll resonate with my liberal peers…Hamas specifically promotes a version of Islamic governance that should make every person who cares about female or LGTBQ rights vomit. We’re not talking discriminatory laws; we’re talking outright murder in some circumstances. Together these two governments have led their people into a corner built on a lie that Jews have no historic claim to the land and that they will be “pushed into the sea.” This denialism has driven their repeated failure to accept a series of conflict ending proposals (this does not include The Trump Plan). They’ve done all this while often enriching themselves to the tune of billions of dollars.
Gaza is a tragedy on every level. This is obvious. But how did it become this way? Israel withdrew from Gaza completely in 2005, including leaving infrastructure to support a potential economy. Hamas got into a civil war with Fatah, the rival party that is dominant in the West Bank. Fatah was expelled. Hamas launched attacks on Israel. Then, important word “then,” Israel AND Egypt (yet, Israel only gets the blame) implemented a blockade. No hiding it, this blockade is brutal, but it is the consequence of Hamas continually choosing to use their power to be violent against Israel in a series of smaller and a larger conflicts. It is an endless cycle that starts and ends with Hamas.
This is not just about 1948. The elephant in the room was that, according to the narrative of some, Israel was created on stolen land. This is a complex issue, but this is not the case. Before Israel it was the British Mandate of Palestine. Before that it was the Ottoman Empire. Fact is, there was never a true state here. The world back then didn’t look like the world today with neat borders. Were there Palestinians here before? Yes. Were there Jews? Yes. The numbers varied over the course of history. The history is important, but the reality is too. That reality says there are two peoples here today who have historical claims. The claims are somewhat different in themselves, but they are both based on history. What’s the difference if the link to the land is three generations ago or many more than that? If you criticize the right of one peoples claim, you are effectively criticizing the other. I am intentionally not getting into the religious arguments here. They are important and must be respected, truly. But it is vital to avoid turning this into a religious conflict.
Don’t think land is the answer. Many people believe this dispute is about land, and that if land is given to the Palestinians the conflict will be resolved. This is possible. I, and no one for that matter, should say they know for sure, but I personally believe it is unlikely that land is the core problem. Israel has dealt with land claims before, whether it be occupying Southern Lebanon or Gaza, and upon withdrawing when the other party presumably got what they wanted, Israel only experienced more violence. This is not to say Israel shouldn’t make concessions, but no one should be fooled that this will mean the conflict is automatically solved. Even more, it is critical that people understand that hatred may have no reason, or at least a rational one. I am saddened to write these words as I have been brought up on the very American idea that if you are kind, others will be to you. But it doesn’t mean this idea is true. Jews are hated by some (to be clear: not all) for their presence here in whatever form for no other reason than that they are Jewish. Whether this is demonstrably true or not, the concern is critical.
It all depends when you start the clock. Is this the land of the Jews or the Palestinians? The answer depends on when you go back in history. The best example of this is Hebron — the second holiest site in Judaism and an important site for Islam. Jews lived there continuously until 1929 when an Arab massacre of the Jews there saw Jewish presence there come to an end. Jews returned in 1967 when Israel captured the land in The Six Day War. They were absent for thirty-eight years after being there for over 2000. Does that make them occupiers or returners? The answer is not the point of this argument. The point is: it all depends when you start the clock.
While Palestinians have been the most hurt by all of this, some parties have undermined their escape from misery. There are powers in the world that have had or even currently have a vested interest in seeing the conflict go unresolved. The “have had” is by in-large the Arab world, who never wanted to see a Jewish state in the Middle East, and even went so far as to not allow Palestinian refugees to completely settle in their countries — see Lebanon and Jordan that have kept (still so) many Palestinians in a type of second class citizenship limbo with restricted rights. Fortunately, the tide is shifting with the Abraham Accords, which are a series of recently signed peace agreements between Israel and some Arab countries. The “currently have” is none other than Iran that has not done one thing even barely constructive for the Palestinians, ever (more on Iran to come). Quite frequently leaders in the Middle East say the IPC is the source of unrest in the region. Does any fact observing, realistic person still believe this? Is Israel to blame for: Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, not to mention challenging situations in Egypt, Libya, and Algeria (which you actually hear nothing about because it is governed by oppressive military “decideurs” or deciders)?
This is a terrible neighborhood. Israel’s immediate bordering neighbors range from bad to worse. Some countries beyond the home front are even harder to imagine. To the north is Lebanon, who is arguably a failed state with a terrorist organization, Hezbollah, firmly embedded in the political system. The 10,000 rockets they had in their arsenal aimed at Israel in 2006 (when there was a war) are pale in comparison to the 120,000 they have today. Syria…gas attacks and ISIS. Jordan is relatively stable, but the public will overthrown the King . This is not a possibility; it is an eventuality. Egypt is similar. There are decent relations at the top levels of government, but Israelis are not exactly welcome on the street of Cairo. Iran, perhaps the 1930s German Reich of today, is getting ready for war. They already fuel it with robust funding for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. They are actively trying to establish a “land corridor” that will enable them to supply arms for a war with Israel. Many of Israel’s bombing attacks in Syria are on this very supply chain. Importantly, how would you digest their nuclear intentions where their leaders regularly say Israel should be “wiped off the map”? The point is, Israel doesn’t have the luxury of negotiating itself in or out of a trade agreement or determining who can use what bathroom.
The world has an unbalanced obsession with Israel. This is most clear at a political level with UN, whose General Assembly resolutions have been almost 90% against Israel, which is strange (to be put mildly) given the very existence of countries like China, Iran, Syria, and many more. UN agencies also allow Palestinians to pass down refugee status through generations. No other refugee has this claim. Palestinians even have their own UN refugee agency. All others just have one. A US State Department report has found that UN agency funded schools are using text books that include antisemitic content and incite violence. This imbalance is also clear in the public discourse level where seemingly everyone, who has become experts in the conflict overnight, are not mentioning anything about bombings in Afghanistan on the same day, or even ongoing conflicts in Tibet, Kashmir, Cyprus, Armenia/Azerbaijan, and then justifying it, if at all with “American gives money, so…” or “we expect more of Israel.” This is a huge problem in itself (more on that to come). The official Black Lives Matter organization (to be clear: this doesn’t mean the general movement or idea) has a specific focus on Israel in their charter, and not any other foreign country. Why? Why? Why?
Criticism of Israel can be antisemitic. I believe that not all criticism of Israeli policies are antisemitic, and most people, including Israelis, would agree with me (I’ve never met more people with opinions about their government than Israelis) but much criticism of Israel is antisemitic. A litmus test: are you critiquing the existence of the state itself or government policies? If the former, almost certainly a problem. If the latter, there is nuance. Here is an official definition adopted by many countries and organizations, but much of this comes down to degrees of hypocrisy that hold Israel to a higher standard than others, do not grant Israel the same right to self-defense as others, and see the historical claims of one people, but not the other. And then sometimes it is less nuanced, like Israel controls the media. That is a classic antisemitic trope, but also one that if true, suggests Israel is really bad at pulling the string of the media puppet, because Israel is currently getting hammered by the media. Furthermore, it is hard to believe that much of the current criticism of Israel is fair when Jews are being attacked throughout the world in so-called support of the Palestinian cause. Since a conflict, a convoy of supporters of Palestine in London were driving around yelling “Fuck the Jews and rape their daughters.” Meanwhile in Montreal a friend’s friend, who was Jewish, was threatened with a knife at a Palestinian cause rally. In West Hollywood, where many Jews live, a mob of men wearing a head scarf that is symbolic of Palestinian fighters (not just around their neck, but around their whole face, like a mask), came up to people at a restaurant asking if they are Jewish, and starting attacking them. Explosives have been thrown at Jews in New York City, the city with the most Jewish people in the world. These are not rare instances. They will continue. They will accelerate. Antisemitism is back. In fact, it never left. Like it always does, antisemitism takes different forms over time. It is one of the world’s longest ongoing diseases that survives through mutation. These types of critiques are only emboldened by public figures coming out with very declarative statements that are factually wrong and miss much needed nuance. It has to be said….celebrities, and even porn stars, many of who having more followers than there are Jews in the world, are sharing uninformed or bias content. Ironically, many of these people would actually be killed for wearing what they wear or doing what they do under Palestinian governments, especially Gaza. I am not saying a porn star can’t have an opinion or even be informed, honestly. I am saying that just because someone is leading in one field and is legitimized in some way by millions of followers, doesn’t mean they have any right to irresponsibly influence their followers. Please (1) check their credentials on this issue, (2) use critical thinking, and (3) probably worth spending more time listening to actual experts on the topic.
This is not a simple story. I love America. I am a proud American. But please don’t take this wrongly when I say America loves a simple story. They are great stories, but simple; in fact, beautifully simple. They are David vs. Goliath; good vs. bad; the underdog vs. the oppressor. If America was a bookstore it would be a brand new Barnes & Noble (pre-Amazon). The Middle East is not that type of “bookstore.” The Middle East is a kiosk at an antique marketing selling a mix of second hand short stories and long-form books. With that said, there is something special about this collection of stories; there is something about it that binds us all all together, like a glue. Using the simple story here is not only wrong, it is dangerous.
Stop projecting. Do not project America’s problems or even America’s solutions automatically. What I am referring to specifically is the Progressive Movement’s exportation of social justice ideas to other places and issues. This is the intent of intersectionality, a concept started in the 1970s, but has since advanced considerably that links suffering of different groups, in particular minorities of different sorts, to “overlapping systems of privilege and oppression.” The application of intersectionality has been on strong display this past week with literal and direct comparisons of black lives to the Palestinian’s, and Israel to the American system that they deem oppressive. Here’s a good piece also making my point of why this is a bad comparison. Furthermore, America, and the West, is caught up in a moment, where if a few say the words “social justice” all others must agree and critical thinking is shut off. This is dangerous, not just for this the IPC but for constructive, informed debate to be done on so many issues.
The idea that Israel is a “European colonialist project” is wrong and just plain racist. Firstly, it suggests the Jews in Israel don’t belong here. From here, critics jump to the European colonialist idea. Please tell me, colonial on behalf of who? The many countries that either made life intolerable for them or even violently expelled them? Furthermore, this European colonial project idea is intentionally making the conflict a white vs. non-white conflict. This is convenient for intersectionality, but just wrong factually. Over half of Israeli Jews are Sephardi or Mizrahi; meaning they come from North Africa, the Middle East, Iran, and other Muslim lands. So, not that it should be about skin color, but since some leaders and the public discourse have effectively taken it there, over half of Israeli Jews are as brown, if not even more, than Arabs. They are effectively Arab Jews. I repeat: making this about skin tone is just wrong, but the main point had to be countered. And if you want to take up a cause of ethnic cleansing, ask the Muslim countries how they went from nearly one million Jews in 1948 to a rounding error of under thirty thousand today, not the Jewish one where the number of Muslims has increased 12 fold since then. This wasn’t a flowering choice to relocate to try something new. Ask my mom’s family.
Power imbalance does not determine justice. I’ve heard the news, pundits, celebrities, and many others who until recently had no experience in geopolitics and history, let alone the intricacies of Middle East affairs, suggest that this conflict is unjust because more Palestinians are dying than Israelis and they link this to the power imbalances that put the burden entirely on Israel. This is patently absurd. Am I privileged because I have a bomb shelter and am surrounded by a missile defense system? Yes, in some sense, but not in the dismissive sense that critiques use the word “privileged.” I more than anything live in a country that that despite its many, many faults makes protecting its citizens its number one priority. I no not live in a place where billions of dollars in aid are spent on rockets to be fired indiscriminately at civilians with the sole purpose of terrorizing and a network of tunnels used to sneak into Israel and kidnap people. Secondly, explain this power imbalance to a mother who doesn’t have enough arms to grab all of her three kids and get them down to the bomb shelter, while her husband has to help his aging mother-in-law quickly but safely down the stairs, not once but several times a night during rocket barrages. Thirdly, the Palestinian people are very tragically and sadly experiencing higher fatalities because Hamas is firing rockets from densely populated areas, including schools and other communal buildings. Gaza is crowded, but there are ways it could fight from less populated areas, including open fields I have seen with my own eyes. Instead, they fire feet away from a group of kids. Lastly, how would the disproportionate argument hold up in World War II? The UK and US, two important allies in the West, lost less than one million people. Germany and Japan lost up to 8.5 million. Were the UK and US unjust?
Intentions matter, a lot. If Israel stopped fighting, it would disappear; if Hamas stopped fighting, there would be peace. Israel, as imperfect as it is, is fighting Hamas. Its fight is not directly with the Palestinian people. We see this in Israel’s targeting of Hamas . There is no doubt, and no one should deny (Israeli’s don’t), that there are terrible tragedies where this targeting is not always successful. This should not be overlooked and be properly investigated. But in the far too many battles that Israel has had to fight, Israel’s intentions are clear — defeat a specific enemy. One simple way to prove this is on the basis that Israel is very powerful, something its critics would agree with. Well, as bad as the wars have been, it is fair to say they would be worse if Israel used its true power. But it hasn’t. On the other hand, there’s Hamas. They use whatever power they can to the utmost to terrorize. This is not a surprise. Their Covenant conveys such ideas as “Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement.” It continues, “There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad.” This Covenant is not like the American constitution, written almost 250 years ago; it was written about thirty-two years ago. Nor was it evolved through amendments, but reaffirmed through countless bus combings, kidnappings, and rockets upon Israelis.
Labeling Israel as an Apartheid state is wrong. The term Apartheid is a reference to the historical discriminatory laws of South Africa. While some may want to make this about race (see the colonialist point above), the conflict is not about that. The best evidence of this is that about a quarter of Israelis are not Jewish. They are Arab. And if Israel is an Apartheid state it is the worst at actually being Apartheid. A disproportionate amount of healthcare workers, including doctors, are Arab. They serve on the Supreme Court. They command units, including Jews, in the military. What type of Apartheid state would allow the oppressed minority to lead the lives of the oppressive majority into battle? To top it off, an organ from a Jew killed by Arab mob violence was given to a Arab woman. Any one who throws Apartheid accusations must answer how this could be the case if their accusation is to be taken seriously. Does this mean there isn’t racism, admittedly a good amount, between the majority population of Jews and the minority of Arabs? Of course not. Let me be clear: there is some racism, and by my book any racism is too much racism. But this does not make Israel an Apartheid state. This makes Israel comparable to any other state with minorities. And there’s even arguably many Apartheid comparable laws in America, i.e. Puerto Rico. There are issues of discriminatory laws in the West Bank between Jews and Arabs, but this is in the context of a disputed territory. It is worth highlighting that as the settlements expand in the West Bank and the chances of a Two State Solution become lower, this area specifically does start to look more and more like Apartheid, or some form of it. We are not there yet, but the trend is worrying. I cannot even allude to discriminatory laws in Gaza because Israel withdrew in 2005 and a Jew found there now would be killed or held for ransom.
If your next move is boycott, stop and engage. The apartheid label is a strategic step with the next one being boycotting as part of a larger movement called Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS). This won’t work. Many would argue, and I would agree, that the core of this movement is antisemitic. It doesn’t seek a solution to the conflict. It seeks the elimination of Israel. Jews are used to being hated. We know our history and this has always been a part of it. We will continue on. This is not meant to challenge BDS proponents to work harder. I could give you the realistic argument that Israel makes things, especially in the 21st century, that the world wants. However, let’s focus on change making…Change the future through active relationships. A solution to this in whatever form will require partners. BDS doesn’t make partners; it only further antagonizes enemies. Furthermore, if you want to be socially active and help Palestinians, don’t be lazy and NOT do something; be active, and actually do something. There are Palestinian made goods and services you can buy.
When you see the slogan #FreePalestine, ask to make sure what it means. There should be a Palestinian state. The people there should be free. But what form does this state take? This matters, a lot. #FreePalestine sounds catchy, even poetic, but quite often it doesn’t intend there to be a state alongside Israel, it means wiping Israel off the map. Many Palestinians know this. Many Israel’s know this. So does US Rep. Ritchie Torres, who eloquently articulated the meaning of this, in response to what seems like a peaceful picture, thanks to the flowers, by a fellow elected official. This doesn’t mean #FreePalestine is all wrong, but it is important to ask what people mean exactly — a free Palestine living next to a secure Israel OR really just an entirely free Palestine (with no Israel)?
Not every problem has a neatly fitting solution. This isn’t high school math. This is the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. You won’t come to understand and end the cycles of violence on social media with a single photo of dead Palestinian child in Gaza or a dead Jewish child in Israel. Photos, videos, stories, etc… should be shared. Absolutely. But are you doing so constructively to drive towards a solution or simply or just adding fuel to the fire? I promise you I can share many pictures of dead Israelis, but I’ve choose to spend considerable time in constructive NGO work, investing in relationships with Israelis and Palestinians, and even hours meticulously writing piece. You don’t have to do all that, but do more than a social media “share” and “story.” Your picture may disappear after 24 hours while millions of people will live on with the impact or lack their of of such “activism.” Furthermore, elected officials should not summarize foreign policy positions in five word tweets. It is not only bad leadership, it is stupid, and intentionally so. Many laughed at Jared Kushner’s suggestion that he was prepared to play a role in a solution after having read twenty-five books on the topic. I rather take someone like that than someone else who looked at twenty-five memes and became the judge and the jury on all this.
This is not about Jerusalem. The events in Jerusalem the last few weeks were problematic. I am referring to the property disputes and evictions and events at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This was a messy situation. But to be unequivocally clear, what happened there didn’t have to lead to the conflict with Gaza. This was a choice by Hamas. This choice results in hundreds of deaths in Gaza and Israel after no lives were lost in Jerusalem. This is not to void the Israeli government of responsibility for some events in Jerusalem. This is to say that Hamas chose to enter this episode of conflict and make it a major chapter in this long story. They did this for their own political reasons, especially after Fatah cancelled the upcoming elections that would have likely seen Hamas gain power. So in that context, Hamas saw a chance to gain the respect of the Palestinian street as the “protectors of Jerusalem.” It is not always constructive to get into a “they started it” approach, but in this moment, it is important.
After all this, what should you do? My feelings are dominated by contradictions. On one hand, I’ve directly and indirectly alluded to hatred that will never be stopped. On the other hand, I want to get closer to a resolution of the IPC that may solve some things, but certainly won’t solve as much as people think. Despite this or because of all this, this leaves me saying: Don’t stand with “a side.” Stand with people. Stand with solution oriented people on both sides, even if you don’t entirely agree with them, and they don’t entirely agree with each other. Stand with people that want to see Israel secure and respect Palestinian rights. Stand with the many Israelis that want a government to more proactively deal with the conflict. Stand with Palestinians whose voices are violently silenced by the governments that claim to lead them down a dark, lonely path with lies. Stand with organizations that bring fairness and avoid those that seemingly have clothed hate in a “do good” mission. Stand with leaders who don’t just make saying poetic things that match the social justice agenda de jour their MO, but with leaders that respect not just the complexity of situation but also all people’s lives who are actually at stake. Stand with your Jewish friends in Israel and around the world that have found themselves at best marginalized and at worst violently oppressed for being Jewish. Stand with people here — in Israel, in Palestine — the ones whose lives are affected. This doesn’t guarantee a positive outcome, but anything less will guarantee more violence.