More Response Papers

Mori Anti-Settlement Lecture
I enjoyed the stories that Mori shared about the change of his views on the Israeli/Palestinian issue and especially concerning settlements. I like how he described that Jewish children are indoctrinated as they are brought up and encouraged to join the army but they don't think what being in the army will actually entail until later. And then they follow orders largely without questioning. I agree with his views on the situation that it is amazing what people will accept and what orders they will follow depending on the information that they have been given. I think it can be extremely hard for people to break out of the bubbles that they or that society has created for them and as a result they are blind to the consequences of certain policies, ideals, or dehumanizations as the case may be. Be that as it may, it is still definitely wrong to kick people out of their houses. I agree that living populations should take precedence over the archaelogical diggings that may lay underneath them. If you started digging anywhere in this area, you are bound to find ruins. If they kick out the Palestinians for that reason, they also need to kick out Jewish families for the same reason. I am amazed at the optimism that Mori held despite the fact that he acknowledged that he is only (hopefully) laying the groundwork for future change. I don't know if there is a way in the immediate future to bring about a resolution to the conflict and the deep-seated mistrust that exists between the two sides. One way to start though is to have things clearly represented as what they are. I recognize that Mori was definitely far to one side in the argument, but at least he admitted his bias. The movie we watched yesterday about the City of David was a piece of heavy propaganda but it never admitted to being so. It only sought to indoctrinate and to brainwash. I like that he at least came out and stated several times that there are differing opinions and the he doesn't necessarily know the right way to do things. It made his ideas a lot easier to listen to.

Leah Settlement Lecture
These two lecture back-to-back was probably the highlight of all the many lectures that we have received on this trip so far. It was amazing to see the contrast in the discourses that each side presented. Each individual side believes that it is entirely correct and it makes logical sense to them why they carry out the actions that they do. They feel justified in their reasonings and in their decisions. Leah's lecture made a great deal of sense and I had to say I could see where she was coming from for the vast majority of her arguments and the information that she presented. Her reversal on the right to return and being kicked out definitely turned the Palestinian discourse a little bit. Jews were kicked out by Palestinians and Jordanians and were forced to flee under armed guard to other areas. They were exercising something like their right to return when they came back (although it wasn't necessarily the same family or even same community that moved back into the houses and they won't let the Palestinians have the same privilege so the parallel is weak at best). She had a good argument for everything that the other side would usually point out - Jews bring greater stability to an area because of the armed presence and the cameras, Jews bring prosperity and cleanliness, a melting pot city does have a nice ring to it when compared to being divided by barbed wire. However, all these were taken from her context and frame-of-view. I think it would be incredibly interesting to bring her and Mori together in a formal debate to go back and forth to see if they could get each other to see any of the other's points. I think there has to be a compromise made between the two sides somehow in order to reach any sort of agreement. I have to say that I agree way more with the Palestinian side and think they have been hugely mistreated and murdered and taken advantage of in every case. However, in order to reach stability and peace some amount of that has to be forgiven and moved past. I don't know where the balance would be though or even how to reach that point where the two sides would come into balance.

Peace Process Lecture
If anything, this peace process lecture given by both of you only cemented the fact that there is no immediate or easy end to this conflict or multi-faceted issue. There have been so many peace processes and semi-agreements that have gotten nowhere or had very little impact or result. People hold on to old treaties or ideals from past peace processes that seem to have little modern application anymore at this point. But they stubbornly hold on to somehow making them work at some point. But I wonder at what cost? When will people have to realize that a certain solution has become highly improbable and what point does the current situation reflect that reality? I think a two state solution might still be possible, but the way things are headed it certainly looks a lot more difficult than it ever did about twenty years ago. I have doubts about a two state solution though. For one thing, there would have to be a more equitable distribution of resources, especially water. Water is an extremely valuable commodity in this part of the world and Israel uses quite a bit. Palestine would have to be guaranteed a greater share in order to provide for the needs of its people. I don't know if Israel would really be willing to even make that concession to them if the time ever came to do so. Also, both sides would need a more equitable security force in order to keep the other from future invasions or armed border conflicts. I don't think Israel would allow Israel would allow Palestine to do that and would be ready to invade and reoccupy Palestine at any point in order to regain its hegemony, security, land, and resources. The two states might last for a little while, but I think eventually the system would collapse.