Onto the Mideast

My familiarity with the issues confronting the mideast is rivaled only by my understanding of those affecting Central Europe. It's only natural, then, that I'd publicly embarrass myself by exposing some of what I've noticed and my reactions.

I have no friggin' idea what's going on in the mideast.

Israel has begun withdrawing from Gaza and the West Bank or, alternatively, the occupied territories, depending on who you listen to. Evidently after one of the wars Israel won some land, which is a fairly common result of warfare, and now they're leaving.

Last week on the news they showed settlers (the Israelis who live in the region) packing up their houses, getting ready to move out. What struck me about the footage shown is they weren't content with packing their possessions, like you do in normal move, but they were dismantling and moving their doors and windows as well. That's dedication, is what that is.

I've moved several times and it's never been pleasant. I never moved my doors and windows, though, so my rank must be "amateur." I was better at it than one of my friends, though: when we arrived to help him a grand total of one box had been packed.

The deadline for getting out of the area was midnight, yesterday, so today was exciting. One group of Israelis, mostly young, were all wearing orange, which I understand causes some legal troubles for an opposite but equal Islamic movement. Worse was the demonstration put on by a handful of protestors who'd gone to the Godwin level and had adorned themselves with the identifying stars reminiscient of the Holocaust.

It can't be easy being a member of the Israeli Defense Force about now.

When NATO was getting ready to set things straight in Kosovo I read somewhere that the problem with Central Europe was that all the borders and all the countries had been fighting and changing and overrun and conquered and redrawn for, say, the past thousand and a half years. That's a lot of erasing.

While most everybody in the region agrees the fighting should stop and the lines drawn once and for all, the sticking point is that each republic thinks the defining moment was when their borders were the farthest extended, when they ruled all.

Israel, I'm told, was carved out in the late forties and dropped right in the middle of a bunch of folks who, for some reason, hate them. I asked my mother about this when I was young, and she answered "the Arabs and Jews have been fighting for centuries." I guess that explains it as well as anything, but I still think it's sad.

Years of animosity, hatred, and revenge don't excuse any of this, as far as I'm concerned. I really don't know, or care, who started what, I just want it to end. I became acquainted with an Israeli girl who thought the Palestinians were right, so I'm guessing there's people on both sides who share my dismay and want to live in peace. Those protesting on each side are indistinguishable, as well as those who cry. I'm sorry, but I don't see the difference.

It would be much easier if religion weren't involved, I think.