the L word

With my previous posts I had been struggling to find a concise way to illustrate the complexity of this conflict/ occupation. My fundamental understandings of this area and its peoples has been changing on a daily basis and I find myself thinking contrary to the previous day. Life is complex. Every day I am steeped in the intensity and (seemingly) immoveable nature of this conflict which brings with it an inherent difficulty in unbiased portrayal.

All of you who know me understand my outlook on life, I am a lover, a forgiver and I don't believe that someone who has done wrong in the past should be cast out forever. Coming from this perspective, it has been easy to empathize with everyone that I meet, listening to their narratives and identifying with their tribulations, on both sides. What has been most difficult, is trying to collate these vastly different narratives into a dialogue about my understanding of the conflict on the whole. The word “intractable” is often used by the media to describe this situation, an opinion that I have struggled with since my arrival. It was easier for me to believe that, by coming here, I would have the unique perspective to be able to make sense of it all and through some previously unforeseen path, bring peace and stability to the region. The reality is that I find myself every day more unclear about a solution, more fearful that the media has not mislabeled this story as “intractable” and there is no end in sight.

Although this dark thought has loomed in my mind and threatened to stump my best efforts at effecting change, I remain steadfast in my belief that just one person CAN make a difference. The solution is Love. The old adage “love conquers all” seems to fit nicely with my reinforced understanding that, just by loving, everyone and everything, I can make this world a better place, love does not have to be mutual, it does not have to be returned, I have just as much capacity to love an Israeli Defense Forces soldier at a checkpoint as I do towards a Palestinian youth. 

Human rights have been another huge aspect of my studies here. The abridgment of Palestinian freedom of movement, restriction of business, and inhumane treatment of the Arab peoples cannot be addressed permanently without a mutual love being entered into the equation.    

An Israeli watchtower looms over what used to be a bustling city street in the Hebron.

Security checkpoint when entering the Al Ibrahimi Mosque/ Abraham Synagogue/ tomb of the Patriarchs.
Since a (jewish) terrorist attack in 1994 killed 29 and injured more than a hundred more supplicant Muslims, the building has been separated into two artifices, half for the Jewish, and half for the Muslims.

Birds don't seem to mind the razorwire. 

View from my room in the Hebron Hotel