Od Yavoh Shalom
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
For those of you who can read my transliterated Hebrew, the title says, "peace will come again." It's actually a lyric to a song that seems to be very popular lately. But many people, do not agree with the sentiment. After almost 2 months of fighting, the peace process in the Middle East is, for all intents and purposes, dead. Trust among Palestinians, Israeli-Arabs and Jews is dead. And almost all hope that these people will be able to live together in harmony is dead too. It's sad really. After years of trying to establish dialogues and summits and agreements, it's all down the proverbial toilet.
Even though the American press would like to have two clear-cut sides to the conflict, there are more than two because every different opinion or view is a different side. Not every Palestinian thinks that Jews should die and not all Israelis think that the Palestinians should be run into the sea. Not all right-wingers are for military involvement, and not all left-wingers are doves. Media portrayals of each side are so simplistic as not to confuse viewers, that they lack the depth needed for true understanding of the situation. Thus is the nature of information relay. But at the same time, many people's opinions have changed and those who were hopeful for some sort of reconciliation are not anymore.
So the question now is, will a state the size of New Jersey, with 7 million residents of different ethnic, religious and cultural backrounds, ever see peace again? The answer; not for a very long time. Until the wounds on both sides, the grudges, the anger, frustration and malice, are resolved and after mothers stop grieving for their children, then there will be peace. But not until then.
Even though the American press would like to have two clear-cut sides to the conflict, there are more than two because every different opinion or view is a different side. Not every Palestinian thinks that Jews should die and not all Israelis think that the Palestinians should be run into the sea. Not all right-wingers are for military involvement, and not all left-wingers are doves. Media portrayals of each side are so simplistic as not to confuse viewers, that they lack the depth needed for true understanding of the situation. Thus is the nature of information relay. But at the same time, many people's opinions have changed and those who were hopeful for some sort of reconciliation are not anymore.
So the question now is, will a state the size of New Jersey, with 7 million residents of different ethnic, religious and cultural backrounds, ever see peace again? The answer; not for a very long time. Until the wounds on both sides, the grudges, the anger, frustration and malice, are resolved and after mothers stop grieving for their children, then there will be peace. But not until then.
