anonymousbluebird

[anonymousbluebird]

JUDS/POLS-477 Final Blog Post

My Thoughts and Reflection on the Class

Wow! I can’t believe I am at the end of the semester. I was incredibly excited to get to sing up for this class and it did not fail to disappoint. I learned a ton on a lot of things, but I also want to keep learning more and digging into unanswered questions - and shouldn’t that be the goal for any class? I think it is difficult to sum up all my thoughts on this course but I will do my best.

It was interesting taking this class at the time I did because at this point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and really just Israel in the Middle East, not much is really ‘news’. Yes, there is another election and yes, there is an attack somewhere and these are all important and relevant. However, on a deeper level, not much has truly and fundamentally changed in the past couple decades. As we discussed in class, this course may be irrelevant down the line simply because the current path – Israeli slow takeover of the West Bank and Gaza – will eventually make it so that there is no ‘Palestine’ left to negotiate with or try to solve the problem for/of.  Three decades ago, it looked like there really could be a peace deal. Now, most of us wonder whether Palestine will ever have another election and whether Israel could just not have them for once and if these two groups will ever muster up whatever is needed to sit at the negotiating table. This is not to say that conflict and hatred between Israelis and Palestinians is inevitable or even that it is inevitable to fail to achieve a viable two state solution; digging into what is really going on shows that this doesn’t have to be the case. Nevertheless, the easy answer is to say that it is either impossible to get over differences or that they are simple to resolve. I think the most surprising thing to learn was how many actors present today or within the last decade are some of the same ones from many decades ago, even dating back to being alive during the founding of Israel. As someone born after the turn of the century, I viewed the 1950’s as way in the past, and it almost helped me better understand some of the reasons that many feelings are still so deep seeded knowing that really, some of this wasn’t that long ago. The history is still being written. Moreover, I think one of the books we used for class written by David Shipler that looks into educational sources for Arabs and Jews is incredibly telling. Textbooks and education tell us not only what the writers believe, but what the future generation will think. It is certainly worth noting how incredibly ironic and interesting it is to realize how much these two groups – Israelis and Palestinians – reflect one another. Not just in their way of thinking and viewing the other, but also in their past and how they view their past’s -  a past of victimization, tragedy, and a future where there is something that rightly belongs to them that is currently being violated or threated.

I think what struck me the most about the blogging assignment was how much current events felt like they echoed events of the past. Part of this I think is due to the fact that the class gave so much context and history to the past that the present seems to make more sense. More than that however, it is reminder how very much the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues and has yet to reach a lasting solution. There has not been a conclusion yet and a ‘conclusion’ or ‘solution’ may not come for a very long time or could come in many different forms. I think the main thing I can take away is that anyone who thinks they have the conflict completely figured out is wrong. It is incredibly layered, multifaceted, and there are plenty of individuals and groups all involved to different extents. I know I will leave this class with a lot more insight than I started – not just in terms of this conflict but in terms of the world more broadly. This is not to say that I am or will ‘compare’ conflicts as this is something that cannot be done. However, the lessons about humanity, about thinking critically and thinking beyond stereotyped perceptions, of considering the differences between individuals and how that may change outcomes, will stay with me. I loved this class and all the ways it made me think or even just allowed me to go deeper into things that I had already considered. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about the Arab Israeli conflict or who just wants to expand their knowledge of the world more generally. The Peace Negotiation simulations we did taught me a lot of lessons but the primary takeaway is that no one has the answers on this conflict, regardless of how fun and entertaining it could be to roleplay and pretend otherwise. All I do know is that I HAVE TO visit Israel someday, and I promise myself that someday I will…

[anonymousbluebird]

If there is anything I have learned through this course, it is that it is much easier as an outsider to try to give a practical solution that may very well be beneficial, but that still misses much of the context, history, and overall current public opinion revolving around the issue. Ironically, both those are idealistic and pessimistic may find a one state solution as imminent/necessary for different reasons. Those, as these in the human rights watch report, view a one state solution as necessary to grant equal protection and rights to Palestinians (unfortunately that would incredibly difficult to execute in practice - you cannot remove decades of hatred and prejudice on both sides and expect people to just immediately coexist without another moment of thought). On the other hand, pessimistic/realists likely view the situation as one where there will be a gradual annexation of all Palestinian territory to the point where it is one state, whether of not Palestinians would actually get citizenship, any kind of protection, or just be deported by that point is anyone's guess. As pointed out before by the article and the previous blogger, both Israelis and Palestinians are not looking for a one state solution, even when many think the moment for a solution passed a couple decades ago. Negotiations are not occurring unlike those of our fictional classroom. Meanwhile, the only things that ARE happening are the gradual annexation of land, the development of settlements, humanitarian problems, and discord among both Israeli politics and politics of the PA and Hamas is the West Bank and Gaza.  If a kind of one state solution were to occur, there would need to be major consideration as to the functionality of such a state and how to resolve more intangible issues that move beyond just borders and citizenship status. 

Human Rights Watch Report

Yet another article that seems to have known that we are mid-negotiations in class. This article details a new report set out by Human Rights Watch, which claimed that Israel met the legal definition for crimes of apartheid as set out by the Rome Statute. The entire report favors a one state solution throughout while claiming that the biggest deterrent of peace in this conflict is the Israeli imposed ‘Apartheid’. The article speaks of the unpopularity of a one state solution in both sides as every day they become more and more divided/separate, which is reaffirming as in class we collectively moved away from a one state solution that seems to be so unpopular. If reports like this keep coming out, it will be interesting to see if or when the United States will take any sort of action, and how reports possibly affect future reconciliations.  

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/behind-new-human-rights-critique-of-israel-is-a-push-for-one-state-analysis-666553

[anonymousbluebird]

I found this article as well as the previous bloggers thoughts very interesting and informative - thanks for sharing!

Given that the U.S. is mediating these talks, I wonder how much there is a perception/or reality that the U.S is favoring Israel compared to Lebanon in this scenario. This has long been the case with negotiations with Palestine and other Arab states. However, starting negotiations now as oppose to decades ago I think would make the U.S involvement more ‘fresh’ and seen with less suspicion. Moreover, Biden is seen as less Pro-Israel than Trump blatantly was which could be an advantage if the US wants to continue to be seen as having an important role in mediating negotiations. In addition, I thought it was interesting that the US has interests in the area regardless of how it turns out, giving the US an incentive to be on the ‘good side’ of both parties to make sure that the U.S has the best outcome relationship wise to secure their strategic interests after the talks. 

It does seem that the US may have also played a role in pushing the talks to occur in the first place. Despite blatant favoritism to Israel in the past, many still do agree that in the case of Palestine, the US played a similar role and pushing talks to continue. Regardless of incentive, I hope US involvement turns out to have a positive result on relations between countries in the region. On a side note, I did find it interesting that Hezbollah pushed for the talks to be abandoned - a trend that seems to occur with negotiations in this region. 

Today I read the article “Israel ready to make greater sea territory demands in Lebanon border talks” by Lahav Harkov. This article was published on the Jerusalem Post’s website. The article focuses on the negation and controversy surrounding the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon. Lebanon has increased its demand for the boundary. Different members of the Israeli government have commented on Lebanon’s demands. The US has been mediating these talks and has encouraged both sides to work together in order to boost both sides economic strength. This because the area in question could be useful in pumping gas. Israel currently does so, and Lebanon would likely use the sea in a similar way.  An interesting part of this article are the comments underneath the article. I think that it can be interesting to see how commentors chose to interact with articles and how their interactions vary depending on which new outlet you look at. The comments under this article expressed extreme upset with the fact that Lebanon would not speak directly with Israel. Additionally, they were quick to demand Israel halt talks and simply take whatever land it sees fit. These negations with other states show how Israel and its leaders approach talks with other states and makes it interesting to compare to Palestine negotiations. Sorry, posting this pretty unedited because I got told the power will be off for hours so I’m trying to post before I lose wifi.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/israel-ready-to-make-greater-demands-in-talks-with-lebanon-on-sea-border-666383

[anonymousbluebird]

Whether Iran is truly responsible, I find it interesting and almost amusing that Iran is attempting to hint at responsibility. It almost reminds me of terrorist organizations when they have no involvement in an attack and simply use the publicity for their own ends. It is much better for the Iranian government to appear strong and secure to both their people and the rest of the world without taking direct responsibility. Regardless of the true cause, on an international relations standpoint, it it vital to Israel to signal that it is a competent and militarily secure state - especially in the face of one of its greatest adversaries.  It doesn’t ultimately matter if it was a malfunction or Iran - either one would make Israel look weak and like they are scrambling. On the other hand, claiming your testing capabilities and broadcasting that has the potential for the opposite effect: demonstrating power, resources, and the willingness to potentially use them. The latter would certainly more beneficial for Israel. 

Mysterious Explosion at Israeli Rocket Factory

https://www.timesofisrael.com/big-blast-at-rocket-factory-jolts-central-israel-in-controlled-test/

This news article describes an explosion that occurred on April 20th at an Israeli Rocket Factory. The explosion is happening weeks after the explosion at an Iranian site that led Iran to accuse Israel of attacking them. The footage of the explosion in Israel made it online and there is speculation over what prompted it. Israel is saying that the explosion was a “controlled” test and that the footage is misleading. Iran has hinted that it might have played a role in the explosion yesterday. 

If there is foul play, why would Iran suggest that they sabotaged this rocket? One possible answer is that they see this as revenge for the conspiracy earier this month in Iran. Maybe they don’t want to claim the rocket’s failure because doing so would worsen the already tense relationship between Iran and Israel. It will be interesting to see if Israel and Iran continue to exchange body blows or if this becomes a much more deadly match-up. The US has its own tensions with Iran, and if there is a war I wonder if we will commit troops to ending the conflict. A weakened Iran and a strong Israel would be viewed as a positive by many Americans.

[anonymousbluebird]

Beyond the fascinating idea of tunnels carved out near the northern border of Israel used by Hezbollah and the examination of the security threat this poses to Israel, what caught my attention was a comment about how any potential attacks in that area would pose a risk to all residents, including Druze, Christian, and Muslims. As quoted in the article, “If a missile lands on a nearby Jewish village, it threatens all of us.”

This demonstrates the intersectionality and complexity of the conflicts revolving Israel and various groups/countries in the Middle East. when you hate the other side, you are often including those individuals in the ‘other side’ that may hold different opinion (not to mention the problem having a warped view of the dominant group more generally), attacking a country means attacking and harming individuals of all kinds and background. Not only do terrorist attacks typically target civilians over confronting legitimate military sites or personal, but in this instance, it is endangering and killing those that really do not even ‘belong’ to the civilian population of your target to begin with.  

The Defense ministry conducted a tour of the tunnels and subsequently held a panel discussion about Israeli Identity titled “Minorities under Attack”. This is certainly an emotional pull toward humanizing the individuals being harmed as well as making Israel seem like a concerned and proactive government to their minority citizens (whether this legitimately holds true on the day to day). It is also helpful in shifting dialogue to make people distance themselves from terrorist organizations and see how their actions often hurt those they are supposedly fight on behalf of.

Ultimately, the message that ‘Israeli society is not only Jewish but is composed of all of its components’ is an incredibly vital one in understanding the sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is generally an important reminder for everyone that your first perception of a country or culture does not speak to the many types of individuals that compose it.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/is-there-light-at-the-end-of-the-hezbollah-tunnel-665736

[anonymousbluebird]

I found this post striking in that it started talking about Iran admitting its need for greater National Security.  Momeen Rezaei, secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council for Iran said “The country has been widely exposed to security violations, and the example is that in less than a year, three security incidents have occurred: two explosions and one assassination,”. (The assassination was of the head of Iran’s nuclear program). While I don’t know a lot about Iran in this context, I am somewhat surprised they would wish to admit this kind of weakness to the world, especially to the point where it would appear in a newspaper such as “The Jerusalem Post”. It was also noted in the article that this would be the first public acknowledgement of the 2018 Mossad Operation, where the Israelis seized Iranian papers. When Israel produced it, Iran said it was fabricated and that the move was ‘very childish’. I am curious as to what the global perspective is on the 2018 operation (whether it produced valid documents or not).

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/iranian-official-admits-israel-swiped-nuclear-archive-665257

[anonymousbluebird]

I am curious as to how effective such measure are and whether they are/were able to succeed in luring Israelis before it was discovered, and before the subsequent warning was issued. In my experience while there is a certain population that is ore likely to fall into these kinds of ploys used for nefarious intent, many are rather alert in protecting their safety, especially when they have prior knowledge of scams and things to look out for. 

I agree with your comments on the often-negative repercussions of social media. Even in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian divide. While it can be used to draw people together and potentially foster communication and relationships between people on opposing sides of the conflict, it can also serve as an echo chamber, allowing people to search for news and groups that validate their opinions. Moreover, the motivation of news sources to release shocking or more negative stories as a means of getting more views could lead to a more negative perception of those on the other side. (especially when you just hear about the latest terror attack). None of this is to say however that there are not many beneficial aspects of social media and the internet and their potential for working toward better solutions.

On another note, social media has proven to be an incredibly effective tool for terrorist organizations in recruiting members, spreading propaganda and fear, and coordinating attacks. Governments often have a difficult time in completely disrupting these activities.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/shin-bet-mossad-reveal-iranian-methods-for-luring-israelis-online-664920

 I find this to be very intriguing when thinking about how social media might be doing more harm than good. In the article, it stated that last year many IDF soldiers were foiled by Hamas networks posing as attractive young women on social networks trying to lure soldiers in an effort to access more information and insight into the IDF. The internet and especially social media are playing a much bigger role in aiding terrorist behavior and unfortunately, Hamas isn’t the only one benefitting from it.  Although the internet has allowed us to connect to more people and have faster access to information, the internet has also greatly put us in a vulnerable place to be exploited and used.  

[anonymousbluebird]

This is definitely a great example of how simply saying ‘terrorist’ can pretty quickly frame the way someone perceives an issue - whether the term terrorist is appropriate or not in a given context or in reference to a specific group. Fear is one of the fundamental motivators and can easily be used as a tool for a specific political agenda. To be fair, I am not familiar with the specifics of what the  UNRWA is teaching to Palestinians, nor have I heard much relating to this specific debate until today. Still, assuming that UNRWA is upholding their principles and ideals of neutrality (although as we have discussed there is no way to be completely neutral), then the likelihood of teaching anything related to terrorism is incredibly low. 

Meanwhile, aid is incredibly important and crucial - especially when it comes to humanitarian concerns. Many don’t know all of our foreign aid combined that the U.S. distributes globally amounts to less than 1% of the U.S. budget. Aid and throwing money at the problem will not solve it whether it comes from the U.S. or the UN. In some cases aid and humanitarian efforts can reinforce negative cycles. Furthermore, it is vital to evaluate how exactly entities are distributing aid, what it is going toward, and how effective it is. However, simply trying to demonize it is not helpful to anyone, especially those most in need. 

This was an opinion article posted by Aljazeera and it was super interesting to see what the UNRWA Commissioner-General’s perspective was about these accusations. The accusations were that the teachers of the UNRWA are teaching about “jihad” and “terrorism” to the Palestinian students. I am in agreement with the Commissioner-General that the UN and other international NGOs are supposed to remain as neutral as possible. That’s how it should be. I think the people who are making these accusations are trying to politicize the humanitarian aid that is being given to the Palestinian people by painting a bad image of the whole organization itself. And the ones who are being most affected are the Palestinian children who want to have a sense of normalcy and an opportunity for education.

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/4/6/aiding-palestine-refugees-is-not-political 

[anonymousbluebird]

I think this is a very insightful look into part of the reason behind the problem of vaccine distribution in Israel. The chaotic nature of the government and the over emphasis on building coalitions completely distracts from other issues. Moreover, nothing can be accomplished once people are in government due to a diverse set of interests and the need to maintain majority support in the Knesset. The turmoil of a government in transition is also incredibly problematic. In the article, it stated how blame for the lack of approval for payment involves the fact that the government has been postponed from meeting and discussing such issues due to Netanyahu’s refusal to appoint a permanent justice minister.

The disorganized aspect of the Israeli government also ties into a comment in the original post about vaccines being distributed prior to the election and now that the result are in, we see a decline in administration and a failure of payment. Generally, the thought that politicians will be most sensitive to how they are perceived when they are up for reelection could be viewed as an issue in most democracies built into the cycle of elections. Still, as was stated in the previous post, the ‘lack of substance in Israeli politics’ likely exacerbates this kind of issue. As in the case of Netanyahu, the power structure incentivizes constantly fighting for reelection at any cost for fear of prosecution when they are out of office.  Once a politician has achieved their goal (i.e., reelection), they may feel freer to operate under their own interests.

As Israel and its citizens are still waiting on the new form of government or perhaps the same as in previous years, some issues are coming up to the light. This is the case of the payment of the vaccines Israel asked to pay any price in order to protect its citizens, and to a certain extent, the Palestinian authorized employees. Pfizer, the company that is supplementing the COVID vaccines to Israel, halted the last 2.5 million doses due to the failure of payment. It is interesting to see how Israel did pay the first 100 million vaccines as the elections were happening but now they have failed to do so. With this appearing on the news and as word spreads out, I am interested to see how the selection of the party will be affected by this. From Pfizer's side, they stated that they will "do nothing that will affect the people of Israel's health by denying vaccine." This being said, based on the decision of the Israel Health Ministry, as from my understanding it is the one who makes the payments for this supply, will be the one to keep up the promise of protecting every citizen or neglect them by not paying what is owed.

[anonymousbluebird]

In the unlikely circumstance that elections do take place, I wonder how much Palestinians will actually feel that they are being represented. It is no secret that there is massive corruption in the organizations that ‘represent’ Palestinians. Looking at the people that are even being considered for President do not inspire much hope for meaningful change after an election. I am curious to how much Palestinians feel frustration at their options or if they are just excited at the prospect of voting. According to the article, there is an expected 78% voter turnout. I can only assume that after over a decade of no elections, voters would want to make themselves heard in whatever small way they can. 

Barghouti as Palestinian Election Front-Runner

https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2021/3/31/majority-of-palestinians-want-marwan-barghouti-as-president-poll

In Palestine, the citizens are looking at Marwan Barghouti, who is a jailed Fatah leader and activist, as the top choice for president. If he ends up running in the election the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research he would recieve the most votes. He came at the top of the list with 22%, followed by a Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh who scored 14%. 

Hamas, on Tuesday released the “Jerusalem Is Our Promise” candidates list, showing that Fatah and Hamas won’t be running together. With this in mind, Barghouti still looks to be the future front runner. On April 6th, the approved lists of candidates are unveiled, and campaigning will be from April 30th-May 20th.

3/31

[anonymousbluebird]

https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-return-to-pre-trump-norm-state-dept-report-refers-to-occupied-territories/

The U.S. State Department just released their annual report on human rights violations around the world and referred to the West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as territories “occupied” by Israel. (The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem as well as the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan heights among other things remain).

Despite international condemnation coming from various countries and the UN, Israel has failed to act in response, partially in due to the fact that Israel can often look to the U.S. as an ally. The only way I can see a situation where substantial changes have even the potential of occurring in Israel are by the U.S exerting extreme pressure and withdrawing support. Israel obviously has little regard for the international communities’ opinion or for international law, but it does depend on the U.S. for backing generally and in specific regards such as aid (especially military aid). It is also much more difficult to stand in total opposition to the U.S and the UN. Still, difficult does not equal impossible or even that Israeli opposition would be unlikely. Furthermore, it is anyone’s guess whether the aftermath of such policy decisions would be helpful or if they would simply be creating more problems.

Although we have seen reversal of policy toward Israel and the Palestinians under the Biden administration, I doubt that the United States would ever take a position in extreme opposition to Israel given that at the end of the day, Israel is seen as a stronghold for the US in the Middle East and that the U.S would hate for other countries to step into the role the U.S currently plays. Moreover, while we view Biden’s policy as a departure when contrasted to that of Trump, it still does not vary greatly from the pre-Trump era. Nevertheless, if Israelis and Palestinians do find themselves at a bargaining table, this is a step up for the Palestinians in making their case compared to their situation under the Trump administration.  The report also goes over the PA and HAMAS, list out problems of PA corruption and HAMAS terrorist activities and oppression of civilians.

[anonymousbluebird]

I definitely think this would be an excuse to gain power under more legal terms. Having Palestine as a ‘sovereign’ state while maintaining military time would likely be a change in name only. It would honestly remove Israel from obligations to provide aid and infrastructure while simultaneously keeping a grip on the military that intimidates and suppresses Palestinians. Moreover, it would allow Israel to not have to grant Palestinians equivalent citizenship or let them vote in elections of Israel.... honestly a bleak future for Palestinians. It is quite likely that Netanyahu was fully aware of how unappealing such a ‘solution’ would sound, allowing the current situation of slow annexation of land to continue on its path indefinitely. This certainty isn’t unexpected news, but it is a different take on the situation as it gives the perception the Israel with concede something ’under certain conditions’ (that they are being somehow more generous and looking out for everyone’s best interests). 

Netanyahu does believe in a peaceful agreement but I would say to his convenience. According to this article, he stated that he would "allow the creation of a fully sovereign Palestinian state" as long as Israel has control over the security, of the possible Palestinian sovereign state. I would say that this would not be a sovereign state as Israel would have control over it and could eventually use it against the new state. This is just another form of the Israeli government, like the settlements, to take over what is left of Palestine, but at a higher level, literally leaving no room for the Palestinians to fight over anything. It is also mentioned that he will accept the new Palestinian state under the conditions he asked but "Otherwise, we will get Hamas." I am not sure what he meant by this, does he mean that Hamas will be removed by the Israeli military or government or will Hamas take over the new possible Palestinian state? Or does it mean that Netanyahu sees Hamas as a tactic to scare the Palestinians to get what he wants?

[anonymousbluebird]

https://www.timesofisrael.com/arab-voters-fear-electoral-disaster-amid-dire-turnout-figures/

Today’s election saw one of the worst Arab voter turnouts in Israeli elections in over a decade. Meanwhile, the 2020 election saw the turnout at 65% - a two decade high. One wonders whether elections could have better favored Arabs if the turnout had been different or whether it wouldn’t have had any impact. Still, what changed between last year and today? Recent years have seen an increase in Arab parties; Arab parties have run together in a four-party bloc known as the Joint List in most elections since 2015. While the likelihood of drastic improvement for Arab Israelis, an increase in representation in the Knesset would certainly be a start. The decrease is credited toward the fact that the coalition broke apart in February. The more conservative party Islamic Ra’am left the bloc and considered working with Netanyahu, with many viewing this as a betrayal. Moreover, the sides were unable to sign a surplus vote agreement. I wonder too how much Arab voters simply feel that their voice doesn’t matter in elections – Arab bloc or not. Furthermore, I wonder if there is any sort of correlation between the turnout and the treatment of vaccine distribution by the Israeli government. It will certainly be interesting to see how the results of the election unfold.

[anonymousbluebird]

It is incredibly painful to have to hear of such actions, especially knowing how Palestinians are deprived of both the options of citizenship with Israel or full autonomy while being subjected to Israeli actions. I can’t help but remember as I read this about our class discussion on actions taken by the military during the 1948 war and how there were massacres of Palestinians in certain instances. In doing so, they succeeded in scaring others into fleeing on their own. These recent detentions as well as the way they were carried out were likely done with an additional goal of instilling fear and giving a reminder of the power Israeli forces have in the area as a way of discouraging trouble. The article used the phrase ‘in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers’. I think that this is an apt disruption of the situation.

18 Palestinians Detained

https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/123666

18 Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces from different locations within the West Bank according to security sources. Five of these people (one of which is a former prisoner) former were detained from the forces ransacking their homes in Yatta town (south of Hebron city), two others, a former prisoners and a university student, from their homes in Beit Ummar.  In Jerusalem, the undercover Israeli forces (Mista’arvim) went into the Shufar refugee camp and chased, assaulted, and detained three Palestinians, one of which was a teenager. Others were detained from Batn al-Hawa, and Jalazone refugee camp, Birzeit, Anabta, Deir al-Ghoussoun, and Jenin district. 

The Israeli forces frequently raid Palestinian homes on a daily basis in the West Bank searching for “wanted” Palestinians. These areas which these are detained in are under full Palestinians authority and have no search warrants or a need for a warrant. Palestinians have no control over this as under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative, and judicial authority.

3/15

[anonymousbluebird]

This post grabbed my attention, and I was kind of surprised at what it was about. By now, I have become used to posts about Israeli relations with surrounding Arab states, the Palestinians, and the U.S. as well as news on the upcoming elections and COVID vaccine distribution. What I often do not hear about is Eastern Europe. Kosovo recently opened an embassy in Jerusalem, making it one of only three countries to have an embassy located there (others being the U.S. and Guatemala). This has come as quite the controversial move, and I was wondering what exactly Kosovo could have to gain as a small European country.

Kosovo didn’t gain independence from Serbia until 2008, and it is still working to gain global recognition. Kosovo is recognizing Israel as the Jewish State’s capitol and in return, Israel is recognizing Kosovo – something that Serbia still refuses to do despite pressure from the West to resolve the conflict. For Kosovo, this is an attempt to hold onto their currently tenuous independence. However, I wonder what kind of cost this will have for both parties involved. China and Russia have barred Kosovo from entering the UN as a member state. We have witnessed that Israel does not have a particular regard for pressure from the Global community if there is another interest at stake so this may not have many negative impacts on Israel that it is not already facing. However, for those that are enemies of Israel may now view Kosovo and its prospects toward international recognition in a light they would not have otherwise. The Turkish president has already warned that the move could damage future relations with his country. I can only imagine how a small, disputed nation placing an embassy specifically in Jerusalem could inflame tensions.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/14/kosovo-opens-its-embassy-to-israel-in-jerusalem

[anonymousbluebird]

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/israel-in-danger-by-a-lack-of-budget-661746

Due to the abundance of political turmoil in Israel, the government failed to pass a budget, with specific ramifications on the Israeli military. The only thing keeping the IDF from operating without a budget is military aid coming from other countries, primarily the Untied States. While this is better than nothing, the IDF has already had to make compromises on projects and rely on outdated technology, specifically their heavy lift helicopters and air platforms. Moreover, it makes it incredibly difficult to plan ahead. I can see why in the past this would be exactly the kind of thing that Israel would hope to prevent the world from knowing via. restricting information coming from the country. Given Israel’s situation in the Middle East and their current relations with Iran, it is vital for Israel to at least appear strong militarily. Hopefully there will be more of a permanent resolution soon to promote greater stability.

[anonymousbluebird]

Of all the groups we’ve discussed so far, I have found that Arab Israelis, Christian Arabs (especially Palestinians), as well as Jewish Arabs (both inside and out Israel) present the most immediately intriguing and blatantly complex cases where individuals don’t neatly fit into the boxes that many perceive to exist. (Really, this just demonstrates how many people in the conflict have much more depth than most would give them credit for). I wonder how much Jasmine Bakria’s language helped her to acclimate into various Israeli communities (maybe placing her on a different ‘level’ of discrimination and experience compared to others?). I also am curious as to whether this made her feel like an outcast from some of her local Arab communities and individuals who were not raised the same way, possibly tying into the idea of struggling with identity and self-perceptions. Regardless, the more that individuals open up about personal experiences and tell their stories, the more I think that it will inspire empathy not only to people with different opinions on the conflict that are directly involved, but also those in the global audience. As some have adeptly noted, individual stories are often more powerful than statistics. 

On another note, if “U-Turn” was available, I would hope to see it :) it sounds quite interesting. (Unfortunately, I was unable to read the full article without paying).

March 8, 2021 Post

When I first read the title of the article I was curious because I expected that it would be focused on downplaying the depth of the conflict. However, the article had little to do with the quote in the headline, rather it featured an interview with an Israeli Arab filmmaker, Jasmine Bakria, discussing her new film "U-turn", which seeks to show the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a personal level. Much of the film took from experiences that Jasmine had growing up as an Arab in Ramallah a where she attended Hebrew School and spoke Hebrew at home. Through her film she hopes to capture an experience similar to hers where an Israeli Arab is trying to find her identity. "U-turn" also highlights the stereotypes put on Israelis and Arab, from both outside and within their communities, which affects how people see themselves and their identity. Unfortunately I have been unable to a place where "U-turn" is available to be streamed.