He says that it’s for “defense,” and she says that she’s “worried.” She says that she’s “heartbroken,” and he refuses to be “naïve.” He say’s he just wants for it to be “quiet,” and she says that she’s “uncertain."
Both are coming of age in an era where a peaceful tomorrow is FAR from a guarantee. Both have grown up in societies where non-discriminatingly explosions are accepted as mundane background noises. Raised in a culture of fear, deafening sirens could blare at any second, announcing a barrage of incoming rockets. Throughout their lives, Palestinian- American, Dalal Hillou, and Israeli soilder, Itai Kopans, have existed in separate universes, yet are tied through their fundamental human desire: live without fear.
Shedding light on a conflict as old as time, this summer has been filled with eruptions of violence throughout the Middle East. Images have flooded international media and bred an undeniable global fixation with ideas surrounding terror and tragedy. Instigating a plethora of opinions, the Palestinian and Israeli opinions contradict in some instances, with each opinion making it increasingly difficult to approach an impossible moderate solution. Desiring to delve deeper into the conflict, it has become increasingly difficult to formulate an individualized opinion surrounding the conflict in the Middle East as both Gaza and Israel’s struggles are outlined by deep rationality.
Drawing parallels between their lives, Palestinian, Dalal Hillou, and Israeli, Itai Kopans, have never met and will probably never have the opportunity to meet. Yet, although these two are from drastically different worlds, their ideas allow for a glimpse into the hope of our generation.
Q: What you’re name and where are you from? What are you plans for the future?
Dalal: My name is Dalal Hillou. I am 23, and I am from Atlanta, Georgia. My parents are from Akko, which is in the Galilee. I graduated from UGA in May 2013 with degrees in international affairs and Arabic, and I plan on attending law school in Fall 2015.
Itai: My name is Itai Kopans and I am currently serving as an Israeli solider. I am a fighting communications commander and I am 20 years old. I’m about to finish my 3-year serve in the army and when I finish the army, I want to just travel and enjoy life.
Q: At what age did you realize that there was a conflict in the Middle East? What did you hear growing up about it and how has it affected your life?
Dalal: I can’t pinpoint a specific age – it’s something that I’ve been conscious of for as long as I remember. I grew up watching Al-Jazeera with my parents, so I saw a lot of footage of the conflict that Western media did not convey. It affected my life in that it fostered a lifelong interest in justice and human rights.
Itai: I realized there was a conflict in the Middle East when I was a little kid. I grew up hearing about all the things that the Arabs around us tried doing to us over the years, and heard the bombs dropping all around me when I was small. When I was young, all of the news that I heard about the Arabs made me scared, but that fear eventually passed as I grew older.
Q: What do you think of everything going on, and how has it effected your life?
Dalal: The current crisis is, to me, truly heartbreaking. It needs to stop so that no more innocent lives are stolen. The effect it’s had on my life is tiny compared to the effects it’s had on other people, especially those in Gaza and the West Bank, where it’s actually a crisis. My worries are minor compared to theirs; I worry about my mom, sister and brother who are over there on vacation, and often tell my mother to keep my brother by her side – but a lot of people have lost their parents and siblings. So again, the effect on my life is nothing compared to the worries of others.
Itai: Initially when I was involved in this situation, I saw the conflict as unnecessary. However, now I’m in favor of what’s going on, especially after I saw all the tunnels that were dug into Israel that endangered the lives of Israeli civilians. These tunnels are very dangerous and have been used already for terrorist acts. Due to the situation, I have stayed longer in the army than I was really supposed to. I have been active quite often in the field and haven’t been home that often. It has been hard for all the soldiers because none of us want live in terror, none of us want our friends to keep sacrificing their lives in combat or constantly having to dodge missile fire. One thing I can say is that the whole Israeli country came together and is helping each other. We have received so many packages of food and clothing, that we honestly can’t handle anymore donations
Q: What are the people around you saying?
Dalal: The people in my life advocate that Israel’s government and army are committing violations of human rights and have committed war crimes in Gaza. The occupation needs to end and a ceasefire needs to be met.
Itai: The general feeling in Israel is that we should do whatever it takes to guarantee the safety of our people. We want our citizens to live quietly and not have to be scared to go out and have misses shot at them. We as Israelis feel as though it is our duty to defend ourselves.
Q: Do you think that peace is possible in the Middle East? If you were placed in a position of power, how would you formulate a solution to make peace a reality?
Dalal: I think that peace is possible. There are so many organizations on both sides striving to meet that goal and encourage cross-cultural understanding. To me, the best way of accomplishing that is through dialogue and interaction between the differing peoples. I think if both sides could see how marginal our differences are and understood each other’s perspectives, it would become a lot easier to live side by side. And I’ve seen it when I visit my family – Arabs and Israelis living so closely together that, with the exception of religious dress, it’s difficult to tell who is what. But Israel and Palestine are places with incredibly diversity, and every city is different in terms of tensions and communities.
If I could give you an easy answer to this question, we’d have peace by now. It’s a complicated issue. For example, Palestinians want the right to return – and that’s a core issue that both sides handle and react to differently.
Itai: It seems as though everyone wants to have peace in the Middle East, but as I see it right now, it is a very naïve idea. There are too many people whom dislike Israel and wouldn’t allow having a Jewish state. If I were placed into a position of power, I would try to negotiate with the people of Gaza. But the problem is that they are never happy with what we offer them and they can’t be trusted. If we would meet their demands, they would abuse a truce and wait until they were strong enough to attack Israel yet again
Q: If you could use one word to describe your hopes for the future, what would it be and why?
Dalal: Uncertain. When you’ve been raised in this issue, you know not to get your hopes up too high.
Itai: Quiet. I’m not naïve, so I didn’t say peace. I would like it to be quiet again and everyone could live their lives peacefully without having rockets being fired at their homes. Israel is a beautiful place with gorgeous beaches and places to see, thats why I want it to be quiet again so everyone could just enjoy their lives.
Molding our minds in preparation to resolve what has become known as the “Question of the Middle East”, with each passing day temperatures and tensions rise, allowing a new youthful generation to formulate concrete opinions that will help to shape a new future. Unlike prior generations, it's obvious that through advances in technology and social media, Millennials have the ability to express constant vigilance via live updates from unfiltered media sources as well as the on-site presence of family and friends. Serving as representatives of both Palestine and Israel, Dalal and Itai celebrate joint values reminding us that sometimes beliefs blind us to the universally binding experience which is our fragile humanity.
