The Separation Wall

We went on a half day field trip yesterday to different parts of the separation wall in Israel that divides Palestinian territory from Israeli land. We had a guide, lots of information thrown at us, and three stops to make. And for the first time, the true crushing weight of the wall hit me.

I've been thinking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for three months now. I've taken an Israel class and a Palestine class here in Jerusalem. I've walked the streets between East and West Jerusalem and seen the dramatic changes between the neighborhoods. I've talked with Palestinians and Israelis. I've listened to my fair share of forum speakers who come every week to the Jerusalem center to discuss this conflict. I've read newspapers and written papers. And after all of this, I still feel as if I don't understand the entire issue at hand, but here's what's currently plaguing my mind about it all anyway.

So, there we were. 80 students, a few teachers, and our guide piling out of our tour buses to stop and learn more about the wall. There I stood taking photos, half-listening to our guide, reviewing New Testament apostles in my head, and feeling all sorts of exhausted from sleeping only three hours the night before. My head was completely lost in my day, my life, my world. And then like a slap to the face, I looked up and saw these three Palestinian boys to my right. The older boy on the bike was staring at us with a look of complete confusion. Maybe it's my own interpretation but I could see the wonder and disgust cross his face as he watched us. There we were, a large group of American tourists standing in front of him smiling for pictures with the wall, blissfully unaware of the harsh realities that were so real in his life because of that terrible dividing wall. 

I guess what kills me inside was that I was lost in the stress of something so little as a test. I was consumed in my own world, and I think that is the crux of all foreign conflict from an outside perspective. I was so far removed, even as I was standing in the land of that conflict! It's so incredibly hard to step outside of yourself and realize the stress and tragedy in other people's lives, to consider the trials others are facing because of something like ethnicity, religion, language, or family ties. There is no easy answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Whether it's a one-state or two-state goal, no one will ever be perfectly content with the solution if one is ever agreed upon. There are hundreds of men and women in the Israeli Knesset and PLO attempting to find a solution, thousands of Palestinians still in refugee camps, and 7.5 million people within Israel's borders with their own opinions regarding their rights, their home, and their family. There is no answer to this mess and things will only get worse from here if we postpone another solution and continue to allow Israeli settlements to pop up in Palestinian territory, just as more Arab countries get riled up and provide further support to the Palestians.

I have not, and will not pick a side to this conflict. Both are right, and both are wrong. I will however, make the effort to be aware of both sides of the issue and hope for a compromise. There are terrible things going on in the world around us. Someday I hope to be able to make a difference, maybe not in Israel but somewhere in the Middle East. And while I'm intimidated by it all, I've found my passion. Middle East foreign policy here I come.