Blood for blood, of course. Terrorists take lives, then soldiers take lives. When does it end?
Given the latest events happening in Israel, I felt this would be an adequate time to discuss something that's been weighing on my mind. For the past few weeks, there have been waves of terror attacks throughout the Holy Land, with many innocent Israeli civilians stabbed or shot on the streets, that, unfortunately, have been committed by Palestinian terrorists. These last two weeks have not been pleasant, to say the least.
Despite the escalating number of casualties, no resolution has been set by any of the leaders. Many people like to attribute this violence to the Palestinians, which is only partially justified; however, we must remember that it is not mostly civilians who are doing this, but terrorists. Under the command of Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Middle Eastern region, many Palestinians have become influenced by the radical notions delivered to them by their leaders -- most assuredly, those relating to the devastation of Israel.
Last Sunday, a Palestinian teenager was shot by the Israeli opposition. This occurred just as soldiers had opened fire against a crowd of Palestinian protestors furious over the 27 Palestinian deaths, albeit most of them executed in self-defense by the other side. Blood for blood, of course. Terrorists take lives, then soldiers take lives. When does it end?
This week, I began to see a number of posts regarding the Israeli attacks, along with a few posts regarding a day dedicated to remembering the victims of the attack by wearing blue. I did happen to wear blue that day, but by mere coincidence. Amongst a largely Jewish population, it is natural for us to conceive such acts of terror against a people we truly resonate with, even if they are people we don’t know. However, there are several things we have missed.
Over the past few years, the Israeli forces have been demolishing many Palestinian houses in the West Bank and in the Gaza strip, both enclaves to the Palestinians. Even innocent civilians’ homes have been torn down -- an act that can quite adequately be defined as a violation against human rights. In addition to this, the Israeli counter measures to Palestinian attacks have been just as destructive as those created by Palestinians themselves. Yet, this is rarely ever spoken of, at least in a liberal university setting that happens to be home to a large amount of Jewish students.
As I mentioned before, despite the four Jewish casualties in the past few weeks, we find about 27 deaths on our “enemy’s” side. That means every Israeli life is worth about seven Palestinians’ lives. Does that make sense? Now, I’m not saying that Israelis have no right to defend themselves, and if that means taking action against Palestinians, then so be it. But then to take a step further and say that we hate Palestinians is not something I can empathize, let alone identify with. It seems that I'm always hearing about Jewish or Israeli pride, yet not many people care to understand what this means. The irony of all of this is that we start to encourage a certain hatred alongside expelling a love for such a small part of our world.
With all this attention surrounding the Israel attacks, as with every time some form of violence erupts there, we easily forget what’s happening elsewhere in the world. On Saturday, Oct. 10, we saw an explosion in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, during a peaceful protest against the conflict between the Turkish Armed forces and the Kurdish separatist party. The explosion resulted in more than 100 dead victims, yet I only heard of this on a couple of occasions. Now, I don’t want to compare the two scenarios, as their stories are completely different and involve multiple sides. However, the consequences are very much similar. So, why do we focus our attention on one incident when we ignore a situation that is just as fatal? Turkey and Israel are two of the largest democracies in the Middle East, both of whom have suffered tremendously from terrorist organizations. Surely, Israel is not alone.
Last Thursday, Oct. 15, I witnessed a memorial in front of our library which honored those lost in said explosion. After that, it seemed like it never happened. When I see this, though, it warms me. Perhaps it's the modesty of the event that allows me to believe in their sorrows--people taking time out of their busy day to respect victims of such an attack, without even knowing who they are. However, month after month, when all I see are Facebook events, celebrations, memorials all having to do with Jewish culture, I can't help but feel, even as a Jew, that I'm isolated in some way. Maybe that's just me, I don't know. Maybe I'm just a bit too skeptical for my age, but nonetheless, many people out here, particularly non-Jewish students, probably feel the same way. It seems as if there's some wicked campaign they're all trying to promote, but I'm just not buying it. Their intentions, whether it be an issue of conformity or perhaps they derive some sort of pleasure out of it, is rather transparent. Somehow, I don't believe in the sorrow as much as I do in the pride. I sense this more as an excuse to exploit the value of one culture over another.
When it comes to these pro-Israel events, I choose to remain neutral. Don’t mistake this for indifference; it is with complete awareness of the situation. However, there’s more truth in seeing many sides to a story than just one. Propaganda meant to commemorate the victims of such a tragedy only pushes to polarize the other side, making them seem less relevant. I am Jewish, and I very much love Israel. But I am not what you’d consider an Israeli nationalist. I don’t even consider myself a patriot to my own country. In fact, it is a misconception that Israel is mostly Jewish, which is what most of us seem to believe. Over the century, Israel has become a melting pot filled with many different cultures. Most of the Jews there barely even "act Jewish," anyway. That is not to say I don’t love the country for what it is -- a beautiful nation with a rich history. Many people who venture to Israel find themselves being so spiritually moved that they come back wanting to explore more. There is so much to this country I can go on about, but then again, there is a whole world out there that I haven’t seen either.
