I’ve seen both sides. I’ve seen people screaming at each other in fury, in despair and in humiliation. I’ve crossed through checkpoints between Israeli and Palestinian areas. I’ve seen mothers break down in tears as they remember their children, lost to a suicide bomber, a missile or an unforgiving battlefield and as they realize their son or daughter will never walk through the door again. I’m not some naive idealist who believes Israelis and Palestinians just need to hold hands and sing “Kumbaya” to end a bloody conflict.
As I’ve paid attention to the tensions on our campus over the past few weeks, I’ve come to believe even more strongly than before that this conflict is not a situation of us versus them. Casting it as so is a dangerous and unproductive method of demonstrating national pride. This paradigm is polarizing and forces individuals into camps, since those in the middle are often viewed as wrong, traitorous or simply crazy. It’s remarkably easy to fall into this trap, and there are many forces in our society that compel people to pick sides. It’s not a win-or-lose game, nor an example of the prisoner’s dilemma. There are very few true dichotomies in life, and while the Duke-Maryland rivalry may be one of them, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — like most other conflicts — is not.
Advocating violence is never the answer. This lesson rings true throughout history, such as in Mahatma Gandhi’s fight to gain Indian independence, César Chávez and Dolores Huerta’s campaigns against mistreatment of farm workers in California and Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights movement. Terrorism is never the answer, nor is depriving people of basic human rights.
For any real change to happen, each side needs to own up to its mistakes as well as celebrate its strengths. There is nothing wrong with self-criticism or criticism of others: It is how we grow and learn to adapt to what is around us. During the course of our lives, we realize things about ourselves — such as personal habits or ways of dealing with people — could be improved, and we act accordingly. Is it too much to expect countries, movements and politicians to do the same and take an honest look at their actions?
Cultural pride is also important, but it is often seen as an attack on the other side. I disagree with this understanding. Learning about other peoples’ cultures not only helps us broaden our own worldview but also reveals the humanity innate in each of us. Realizing that our “enemy” is actually a real person, with a name, a face, interests and a soul makes it impossible to demonize them or wish them harm. It’s about moving past polarized categories of “enemy” or “friend” and viewing one another simply as fellow humans.
UMD Students for Justice in Palestine had a valuable opportunity during Palestinian Solidarity Week to engage in both self-criticism and strengthen cultural pride. My own observations suggest this opportunity was not taken, but I encourage future Palestinian Solidarity Weeks to incorporate both of these elements. The upcoming Israel Week has this opportunity as well, and I challenge the organizers to take advantage of it by acknowledging the fact that 96 percent of the 1.4 million people in Gaza depend on humanitarian aid for their basic needs. To do otherwise would be ignorant and rude.
While each of these events can and should move toward a more respectful embodiment, I challenge the organizers, as well as the entire university community, to come together and have a Peace Week during which different peoples can engage in honest discussion and appreciation of one another’s’ cultures. As years of fighting, misunderstanding and lack of respect has shown, polarizing the situation and casting fellow humans as the enemy has not worked. The only way this conflict, both in the Middle East and at our university, can improve is the creation of a new paradigm and means of understanding that values cooperation, healthy self-criticism, cultural pride and a shared common humanity.
Nehama Rogozen is a senior government and politics major. She can be reached at nehama.rogozen at gmail dot com.
