The picture above is from a playground in Sderot, the bomb shelter capital of the world. When driving through, our tour guide had us get off the bus and "play a game". Although, this was unlike any other game I had played as a child. It started by our group of college students pretending like we were five again by running around the playground. Suddenly, a mock alarm sounded. This meant we had all of 15 seconds to make it to the nearest bomb shelter. In this case, it was the snake-like structure above. To think that as a child I could run around any playground with no care in the world is now absurd to me. Missiles and bombs don't detect age. So whether you are five or eighty years old, you have to know that an alarm means find shelter. This is more than a game for those living near the Gaza Strip. This is their everyday life.
This conflict is a struggle between two national movements claiming the same piece of land. Because of the complicated make-up of both Jewish nationalism and Arab nationalism, sometimes it can be hard to discern who is against who. Either way, both Israelis and Palestinians have their own relationship with "victim-hood" in this conflict, which is hard for the "American can-do" attitude to understand.
Fortunately, our group had the opportunity to talk with someone who lived in one of the three Jewish communities bordering the strip. As we drove closer to the border, the number of seconds we had to find safety in a shelter diminished. From the local's home, one only has five seconds to take cover. As we looked at him in shock from this news, he informed us that the civilians are trained and prepared by the Israeli Defense Force for if something were to happen. He believes that by building bomb shelters, the Israeli government is fighting the symptoms not the problem. Therefore, the Israeli government should come up with a long-term solution.
Two missiles launched at Sderot from the Gaza Strip Kylie Finkbone
As if all of the holy sites and historical information wasn't enough, learning about the political aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on my trip to Israel was beyond overwhelming. It's safe to say I have more questions than before upon my return. There is no doubt that there is hatred on both sides. When trying to find common ground between the two, it is like dealing with divorced parents who are more focused on justice than the well-being of their children. Instead, they should give the younger generations an education and a chance to stop this hatred. No religion teaches prejudice. No one deserves to live in a state of fear. Whether it's this specific conflict or any of the many other, people must remember that we are all human beings and should be treated as such.
Two missiles launched at Sderot from the Gaza Strip Kylie Finkbone
man running in forestPhoto by 
