Bitter End

Dear Everybody,

I haven't been here for quite a while and I'm coming back with quite sad news. You all probably know that the current situation in Israel is getting more and more harsh, bombs and rockets fall on both sides of the border, several civilians and soldiers got killed or wounded, the online world is as full of violence as the real one. Of course, thanks to the Iron Drome intercepting a vast majority of the Hamas rackets, life on the Israeli side is incomparably more 'normal' than the reality in Gaza. People keep working and going out, in spite of the tension created by daily red alert sirens, terrifying news and violent political demonstrations.

However, the organisers of the Arava Valley of Peace Camp found the situation in the area too dangerous decided to cancel the camp. I can't blame them, it's obvious they want to avoid the risk. If anything happened to such an international youth group (and there's always such a possibility, even in the safest areas) Israel and the EMIS school would have to provide about 30 countries with apologies and explanations. That is clearly the last thing they need at the moment. It is quite an irony though, that a peace-focused camp got cancelled due to a military conflict. 

Personally, I'm rather devastated. I've been waiting for this trip for such a long time, counting days and holding my breath with excitement... And suddenly, this summer-dream vanishes, leaving me with nothing but a long, pointlessly free month. Of course, I'm going to spend it immersed in the news articles, tracking the next stages of the conflict and impatiently waiting for an efficient, peaceful resolution. And hopefully, as things get calmer, one day I'll catch a plane to Tel Aviv and experience everything I'm longing for.

Thank you all for crossing the fingers for me! No matter if I'm going or not, I can't underestimate the importance of all the amazing encounters, conversations and experiences. I've learned a lot during those months and I'm truly grateful for that. Even though my blog adventure is over, I strongly encourage you not to give up on your interests. What I managed to describe here is just a minute fragment of the multilayered Israeli reality, waiting for us to discover it.

This Land Is Mine

Have you ever wondered when and why did the whole Middle Eastern conflict start exactly? It just seems to have been going on ever since the beginning of times. Today I came across this brilliant short movie, showing all the endless bloodshed from a more objective and humorus perspective. Simple, funny and - unfortunately - true.

Knowledge is power

Dear All,

I've recently promissed you to write an article on kibbutzim, the bygone socialist Israeli utopia, but  I'm afraid I'm going to let you down on this one. The kibbutz communities are fascinating indeed. However, given the current situation in the Middle East, getting all excited about books and lectures as if nothing was happening just wouldn't feel right. The situation is getting more and more serious and cannot be left without a commentary.

I don't feel in a position to present you with summaries, analysis nor opinions - I don't want to stuff you with some second-hand, subjective mash of 'events in a pill'. I would like to encourage you all to  get some in-depth knowledge about the issue and (re?)shape your very own point of view. The Internet is literally crammed with biased news, fierce arguments and thoughtless statements. Not only that people quarrel about their opinions, they also tend to disagree about the reality. Which is why... please, do not rely on one single source of information. Read as much as you can, search for the facts, understand the position of both sides. I don't know how it is in your countries, but in Poland the media tend to simplify things a lot, omitting many seemingly inconsequential details that are an essential part of the whole picture. My advice is to read either the Middle Eastern newspapers (they will give you firsthand, immediate information but may be quite biased, accordingly to their country of origin and political stance) or the Western ones that focus exclusively on the international affairs.

Here's a couple of useful links:

Haaretz - the oldest Israeli newspaper, left-winged and critical about the Israeli policy

Israel National News - quite the opposite 

Israel Herald - somemwhere in the middle, criticizing aggression towards civilians

Palestine News Network and Palesstine Chronicle - the most popular Palestinian media available online in English

Ma'an News Agency - a Palestinian News Agency, slightly more moderate, provides with detailed news from every district of the PA

Middle East Monitor - seems to have a non-sensational, research approach (*correction: as I started to follow it on daily basis, it turned out to be strongly pro-Palestinian)

Foreign Policy - my favorite global affairs news agency with a decent Mideast Brief daily newsletter

These are just a few suggestions how to get access to news of various, contrasted perspectives. Of course, in the online media world, there is much more: BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera, etc. I wholeheartedly recommend you to use some of them and get deeper into this ongoing conflict. Sure, it takes a lot of time and effort and you will probably start to take it all personally, getting very irritated, terrified or touched. But at least you will form your own, independent opinion and get a little bit closer to the tricky truth. I believe it is worth a lot. 

(*)

The situation in Israel is getting hotter and hotter.

The recent reconciliation of Fatah (the ruling AP party) and Hamas (a radical Islamic organization) infuriated Israel and their allies, which led to suspending the peace talks. On the 12 June, three yeshiva teenage students: Gil-Ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrahand and Naftali Fraenkel were abducted by unknown terrorists. The one that was immediately held responsible was obviously Hamas. IDF and Shin Bet conducted an intense search for the boys all around the country.

The whole Jewish world united in social campaigns and prayers for their safe return home. Personally, I was deeply moved by the authenticity and emotionality of the widespread Bring Back Our Boys action. Today, everybody went through a huge shock, as IDF soldiers found dead bodies of the three kidnapped teens buried under a pile of rocks near the Hebron settlements.

Israeli politicians, from left to right, expressed their compassion for the boys’ families,  strongly condemned the brutal murder and declared to do all in their power to punish the terrorists. What does that mean in practice? Searching over 2000 households in the West Bank, arresting about 550 Palestinians, causing approximately 100 injuries and 6 deaths, bombing the houses of the men accused of the abduction, tripling the number of soldiers in the West Bank, airstrikes of the Gaza Strip, shutting down Hamas-related radio and television, tightening the grip over the Arab areas of Jerusalem… In other words, doing everything to crush Hamas and prove and to the whole world how powerful, proud and protective towards its citizens the State of Israel is.

The spiral of violence and mutual hateful declarations starts to spin. Rockets hit homes and factories on both sides of the wall. Politicians spread apocalyptic visions of bringing hell to their enemies. In the neighboring Middle Eastern countries, unrest continues. Syria is torn by the more and more chaotic, pointless war;  ISIS and ISIL newly-declared Iraqi caliphates are fought with the support of American troops; Egypt and Lebanon suffer from terrorist attacks by various militant groups, Iran’s stance at denuclearization remains firm, etc, etc.

 Meanwhile, the innocent, vulnerable children keep dying. Some get their names printed in newspapers all around the world and a Prime Minister’s speech at their funeral. Most don’t. 

Stories from behind the barrier

The infamous Palestinian issue is the first thing that most people associate with Israel. No wonder- The State of Israel was founded thanks to winning the 1948 Arab War. It owes its present territory (including the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza and the Golan Heights) to the Six-Day War with the Arab countries in 1967. Therefore, it’s existence is inseparably linked with the conflict.

As the topic doesn’t disappear of the headlines, Palestinians fall victim to numerous harmful simplifications. On one hand, there is the Israeli press and TV that tends to create this national psychosis of a kind. In the media, most of the Palestinians are presented as bloodthirsty, fanatic terrorists that dream of killing all the Jews in the name of Allah. The rest is described as a uniform mass of poor, uneducated, Muslim goat-owners.

On the other hand, the pro-Palestinian fraction tends to be biased as well. Many Europeans talk a lot about the ‘Free Palestine’ movement, blindly supporting anything related to their beloved ideals of liberty and peace, with no knowledge about the complexity of the conflict. In their eyes, the Palestinians are nothing but helpless victims and refugees, identical in terms of political affiliations, aspirations and desires.

It seems quite a paradox that both of the totally opposite political sides basically do the same thing: use sweeping, populist generalizations and deprive the occupied nation of its dignity.

If you want to step out of this logic, get some in-depth knowledge and become familiar with the authentic, Palestinian perspective - read Raja Shehadeh. This human rights activist, lawyer and writer contradicts all the Arab stereotypes. In his books, he describes the every-day life of a West Banker. All the difficulties and humiliations, travels hampered by the separation barrier and IDF controls, continuous settlements destroying the natural environment, arrogant and inhumane attitude of the ‘almighty’ soldiers, actual threats and frustrations... The list go on and on. The way he talks about it is highly emotional and patriotic but far from hatred. He reminded me of a best-loved grandfather, full of dignity, wisdom and understanding; the kind you just want to sit by and learn from. I truly advice you to do so!

However, if you are the modern, Internet-immersed sort of grandchild, here are the links to impressing Israeli organizations that openly stand for revealing the truth about the Occupied Territories and finding a common ground with the people from the other side of the wall:

http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/

https://www.facebook.com/IsraelLovesPalestine

Nakba, May 15

May 15 is not a day for fierce political debates nor exchanging arguments about which side of the whole Israeli-Palestinian issue is right. It is the day of recognition. Acknowledging the darkside of the short Israeli history: all the personal human suffering caused by its establishment in 1948. Denying this fact won't bring Israel any peace nor glory.

 Let me just quote what Saeb Erekat wrote in today's Haaretz:

"Today is the anniversary of what we Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, our catastrophe – although a single word cannot begin to explain it, and a single day cannot begin to commemorate it.(...) Israel can't erase Nakba from it's history"

Walz with Bashir

Before this film was released, six years ago, an ‘animated documentary’ was considered an oxymoron. Whereas animation was associated mostly with little children or underground artists, documentaries were something dead-serious. How is it possible, people would ask skeptically, to combine such different genres?

With his film, Ari Folman proves it is not only possible but also ground-breaking. The director couldn’t think of a better way of expression. It forces the viewer to step out of his schematic ways of comparing and labeling. Waltz with Bashir simply can’t be watched as just-another-movie-for-a-Friday-night. Folman has an important story to tell.

The plot is relatively simple. A veteran of the Lebaneon War can’t recall anything of his traumatic experience. All he can remember is one hazy post-massacre vision. Driven by a strong desire to discover what really happened in the Palestinian refugee camp, he decides to regain his memory. He visits and interviews all his ex-brothers in arms, step by step reconstructing the truth. The way he does it takes war to the most personal, intimate level. Political events are just a background for psychological dramas and moral dilemmas. This attitude is far from judging: you don’t get to see two opposite sides of the conflict, clearly divided by the “good guys/bad guys” mark. All that Walz with Bashir is about is the human tragedy. But as you know, having watched zillions of war movies, people tend to become desensitized to sufferings. And this is why animation plays a key role here. The subtle, stencil-like drawings transform the ruthless reality into something more of a nightmare. The whole movie seems somewhat surreal, smoothly blending brutal images with dream-like scenes. The viewer - encouraged by the strikingly calm voices of the interviewed - steps into the head of a soldier, taking over his fears and desires. One can always ignore the dates, names and death toll but it is way harder to escape the feelings.

What is also worth noting is that Ari Folman's approach to the war is quite unusual for the Israelis. They really pride themselves on the efficiency and mightiness of IDF (Isreal Defence Forces) that have a great authority over there. Remember that serving the Israeli army is compulsory, three years for men and two for women. However, as far as I noticed, most of the young people consider it a fun and useful experience rather then a tough duty. As Israel's relations with all the neighboring states are constantly tense, IDF are treated by the society as real life-savers. Now you can imagine that Folman, making a movie about all the fear and pain related to the 'heroic act of protecting Israel's security', was quite a taboo-breaker in his homeland.