Truthfully, I don’t know enough about the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict to have a fully informed opinion. However, I would like to share my views from what I have learned through my family, my faith, and my own experiences.
Here’s what I do know. Years ago and into the present, Hamas terrorized Israel. Here are some excerpts from the ADL (anti defamation league), which sum up what I have learned over the years about Hamas. https://www.adl.org/resources/glossary-terms/hamas
The Hamas covenant, issued in 1988, is replete with anti-Semitism, and echoes the notorious Protocols of the Elders of Zion charging Jews with an international conspiracy to gain control of the world. In Hamas’ world-view, Islamic precepts forbid a Jewish state in the area known as Palestine, and they assert the Jewish people have no legitimate connection to the land of Israel.
Hamas is both a terrorist organization and a mass social, political and religious movement.
The social, cultural, religious and educational institutions of Hamas, including youth groups and summer camps are well-known venues for anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hatred and have served as recruitment centers for suicide bombers.
Since 1994, Hamas has been the main organization perpetrating terrorist attacks in major Israeli cities with targets including shopping malls, cafes, buses and hotels. Its most deadly attacks include the March 2002 suicide bombing of the Park Hotel in Netanya, killing 30 and injuring 140 during their Passover seder; the August 2001 suicide bombing of the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem killing 15 and injuring 130; and the June 2001 suicide bombing at the Dolphinarium nightclub in Tel Aviv, killing 21 and injuring 120, most of them youths. Following the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip, Hamas has been behind the thousands of rocket attacks that have targeted Israel’s population centers.
My mom went to medical school in Israel, and has shared plenty of stories with me about the rockets, the attacks, and the scares. This was before Hamas took over in the 2000s, when it was the PLO.
Starting in the late 1960s, the PLO launched attacks on Israel from its bases in Jordan. In 1971, the PLO was forced to relocate from Jordan, shifting its headquarters to Lebanon.
While in Lebanon, factions within the PLO began to neglect Israeli military target attacks and instead carried out terrorism plots, including high-profile bombings and aircraft hijackings. In 1974, Arafat called for the PLO’s attacks on targets outside of Israel to stop, as part of a plan to gain global acceptance and legitimacy. In 1982, the PLO leadership moved its bases to Tunisia, where it remained until it relocated to Gaza in 1994. https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/plo
When I went on Birthright, some of our plans had to change because of Hamas terror threats in the area, which was a totally normal thing. It was also during a time when 3 Israeli boys had gone missing and were presumed kidnapped by Hamas, and later found dead. Tensions were extremely high and security protocols were pretty frightening to witness. The devastation and grief was even worse, which ignited more hatred on the Israeli side.
Presently, the younger generations of both Israelis and Palestinians have been and are being brought up to hate each other because of this violent history. This conflict used to be about Jews having a home and Israelis trying to protect their country from Hamas terrorists. It was a fight against yet another group of people who were hell bent on the elimination the Jews, as many groups have tried before them. From this history, hatred only grew. The younger generations are brought up being taught how to hate and fight from childhood to serving time in the army. From what I have seen, heard, and learned, these young generations were led to believe they can only fight, not work together to compromise and find solutions, which has since blown the conflict so far out of proportion, there may never be a real resolution.
This may sound like an “all lives matter” kind of opinion, but it’s what I feel in my heart. As a Jew who is proud of her history, her culture, her beliefs, I am pro-Israel. As a person who is always overcome with empathy, I am pro-Palestine. I am pro-human, and anti-hate. I am pro-peace, and anti-terror. Both sides are a mess. Both sides make it worse. I want to hope for resolution and compromise, but until both Israelis and Palestinians learn to overcome their learned hatred for one another, and learn to cooperate as human beings who can live together with different cultures and beliefs and accept one another, there will be no peace.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
