Israel-Lebanon Crisis

Well, I wish I could say more about the war situation and I wish I the answers on how to solve this puzzle the West calls the Middle East. I've had several heated discussions and debates with friends, classmates and roommates. There are a lot of differing opinions here in Israel, it would be wrong for me to say there is a consensus. I think the conversation I had the other night with my friend Arik probably sticks out the most in my mind. Arik is 28 years old, he served 4 years in the military (is on reserve) and he travelled for 2 years. His grandparents are from Germany, they survived the Holocaust, although many of his great aunts and uncles perished. After I criticized Israel for their institutional discrimination against Arab-Israelis and their policies over Palestinian issues, he put it very bluntly, "Look, first Jews. First we have to take care of the Jews, and as soon as we can be sure that Israel is not in danger of being destroyed, and as soon as we can be sure there will not be another Holocaust, we can take care of others, including Palestinians." He compared the Arab threat against Israel to a person looking down the barrel of a gun being pointed at him by someone determined to shoot. He has all but two choices: either he kills the threat or he will die. Israel's military policy clearly reflects an "us or them" situation, among other things. Many have argued that the current campaign in Lebanon will not solve anything in the long run and will in fact make things worse. Which brings me to two questions: when a nation (any nation) knows nothing but death and war, can we still expect it to behave rationally? And secondly, will opposing Arab states and non-state radical Islamist groups ever recognize Israel's "right to exist" and therefore allow both parties to engage in civil discourse?

Today, I saw lots of gory pictures of the death and destruction in Qana, Lebanon. Tens of children gray, dusty, crushed, bloody and lifeless. Countless little bodies wrapped in plastic and tied... Again, I wish I had answers.

Dead Sea, Masada and more...

This first picture is a picture of us floating in the Dead Sea (pictures are out of order, we went to Masada in the morning and stopped over at Ein Gedi then this beach in the afternoon). I did not expect the floating effect at all. It was such an amazing experience. The sea is completely dead, unless some bacteria manage to survive in those conditions somehow. I got some water on my lip and tasted it, it was pretty gross. Another gross thing: a friend of mine told me not to pee because your private place starts burning like crazy. I didn't pee, but I have to admit, I was still a tad bit uncomfortable, uhh, down there. I can't explain it...errr... Anyway, in the background, you can kind of make out the mountains in Jordan. It was a gorgeous morning and I had a great time.

This is me atop the Masada. The hike up there was something else--I must be out of shape or something because I was literally the last person in my group to make it to the top. Even our armed bodyguard, Uzi, was ahead of me.
The sunrise over the Dead Sea--a view from the Masada. It was truly amazing.
Here's another view of the Masada.
And finally, a picture of Myself, Lars, and Matt. We took this at Aroma Cafe, a very popular HU hang out. They have salads, sandwiches, iced coffee, and other treats, as well as wireless internet. You can't really tell from this picture, but there is also heavy security there with a baracade going around the patio.

Last Day of Classes at Hebrew U

Wow, what an amazing and intense four weeks it has been. I'm left a little closer to understanding the Middle East, its past and present, and without leaning on prophecy, perhaps some idea of where it may be heading in the future. I am no expert on the Middle East and all of its facets, of course, but I now have a framework from which to work from. Ultimately, I think that is all an education really gives you. Even doctors, I think, do not memorize all the latin and medical jargon they learn throughout medical school, but they can see the bigger picture and, as doctors, are expected to know where to look when details are needed and should provide answers (in my case, opinions) when a question arises.

In the Emergence of the Modern Middle East course, our professor left us with a somewhat bleak picture of the region, which, according to him, is mostly contributed to four major predicaments that currently face the region. (From the last page of my notes) First, economic stagnation, which has had the most dominant affect on the Middle East, has been accompanied by social frustration and is one major factor contributing to the radicalization of Islamic political movements. Second, the Middle East has grown increasingly weak in the Global System. With the exception of Turkey, Iran, and Israel, the rest of the Middle Eastern states have become non-factors, especially within movements like Al Qaeda, who no longer need the states in their violent campaigns against the Western world. Third is political instability. The Middle East is plagued by an unpredictable future and leaders that many regard as illegitamate, and this has led to many political upheavals. Lastly, there is vast ideological confusion, and many question whether the Middle East is heading toward something contructive or destructive.

Anyway, I think we're all breathing a collective sigh of relief now that classes are over and done with. Most people have left the building and, I'm suspecting, are either off to Tel Aviv or Eilat. (I overheard someone say something about going to Petra, Jordan). I think I might bum around the computer for a while and maybe grab a shawarma and salad for 18 shekels down at the Frank Sinatra cafeteria. I have one more term paper due, but our professor was kind enough to let us email it to her within two weeks. That was really sweet of her...I stayed up all night last night writing a paper for my main course. I wrote about the June War of 1967 (also known as the Six Day War) and the effects it had on the region and why it is considered a "watershed event". I wish I had had more time to write it. Oh well, I did my best.

Missing you all,

Denise

The Classic View

It's the Weekend

It's Thursday evening here in Jerusalem, which means the city is getting ready to shut down for Shabbat. After sundown on Friday, nothing is open, unless you go to East Jerusalem, the Arab part of town, or the American Colony Hotel, of course (and other places, I'm sure). Tonite, between 2 and 3 a.m., our group is heading down to the Masada to watch the sun rise over the Dead Sea. That should be fun.

More later...

It's so interesting to be learning about the politics and history of the Middle East in the context of what has been happening lately. I can see history repeating itself and many patterns materializing, which I won't get into right now (dodging the details of an issue is a very "Israeli" thing to do, not that there's anything wrong with that). Today we focused mainly on what lead up the the 1967 war in Israel, otherwise known as "The Six Day War". (It actually lasted a little longer than six days). There are some interesting parallels to what is happening today and what happened back in 1967. For instance, just two examples: the fighting (not the conflict of course, which had deeper roots) began after Syria shot rockets into northern Israel, and Israel was very punishing in its retaliation. In fact, many criticized the IDF for its initial use of force as "disproportionate" to the attacks they received from Syria. That debate is going on today in regards to Lebanon and the force Israel is using there against Hizbullah. The consensus among many Israelis is that the counterattacks against Lebanon are perfectly justified, but there are a few who question what sort of political (or violent) reprecussions this may have, not just with the Arab community, but with the international community as well.

I finally heard back from my friend Sophia who is stuck in Beirut. She's very scared but doing just fine. She and other Americans are waiting for American ships to pick them up from the port and take them to Cyprus.

One more note: the Provost and the General who spoke yesterday were so confident in Jerusalem's safety that they did not even bother to tell us where the bomb shelters are or what do to in case of an emergency. They also left out the obvious possibility: suicide bombers, or bombings in Jerusalem in general have been commonplace. In fact, back in 2002, a Hebrew University cafeteria was bombed and 9 students were killed and 85 were wounded. Just today, a 25 year old male Palestinian was caught by the Old City (where I was at just last week) with a bomb in his bag. Tempers are certainly flaring in the Arab world.

"The Safest Place on Earth"

This morning, we attended a mandatory meeting of what was supposed to be a security briefing but ended up being somewhat of a case for Israel's military strategy. I took plenty of notes and I will try to piece together a summary of what was said by both the provost of the Rothberg International School and the guest speaker, a former Israeli Defense Force military general named Elihu Ben-Onn. This will be just a summary and will not express my personal opinion on the matter.

THE PROVOST

First of all, the provost mentioned that he spent the whole weekend emailing our parents and addressing their questions and concerns. The administration at Hebrew University is watching the situation very carefully and they are hopeful that things will "change" very soon. There are bombshelters all over the university and in our dorm buildings, and heavy security as usual. He said Jerusalem is very safe, therefore, there is no need to evacuate or cancel any of our plans. If the situation happens to get worse (or if anything unexpected happens), which he highly doubts, there will be further instructions.

GENERAL ELIHU BEN-ONN

The General stated that Israel is in "kind-of" a war (he had a heavy Israeli accent). He said the enemy (Hizbullah) is trying to destroy Israel and Israel has the right to defend itself. Hizbullah, which in arabic means "the party of God", is lead by a sheik named Hasan Nasarallah. The General stated that Hizbullah is taking direct orders from Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, the president of Iran, orders that are coming from Tehran, through Damascus and to Beirut. He said Tehran has an interest in starting chaos in the region. He stated that Hizbullah has a total of 12,000 rockets (supplied by Iran), of which 200-400 have been fired into Israel (to stop the flow of katayusha missiles coming into Lebanon from Syria, Israel has destroyed all bridges along the border). Israel's military strategy is to hit back "harshly" and "destroy the enemy" unless the enemy stops, because Israel cannot live under such a threat and be "hijacked" by terrorists. After 5 wars and as the Israeli army stood 100 miles outside of Cairo, Egypt finally negotiated peace with Israel, which makes Israel optimistic that this type of military strategy will work. The General stated that, in the end, he believes the Lebanese government, as well as the international community, will "thank Israel". He said that Israel has no ill-will toward or conflict with the Lebanese people. Until 1975, Lebanon was the "Switzerland" of the middle east; 1975 marked the beginning of a civil war that left these "terrorist groups" in power. The General emphasized the safety of Jerusalem and the Hebrew University campus, stating that Jerusalem is the "safest place on Earth" and that no Arab leader would even dream of launching a missile here, since there are over 240,000 Arab Muslims living in Jerusalem. He mentioned that in 1991, when Saddam Hussein launched scud missiles into Tel Aviv, Israelis fled to Jerusalem. The General believes the entire military campaign in Lebanon will be over in 3-4 days.

General Ben-Onn took a few questions from the audience and had more points to make, a few of which I will mention. He stated that Israel will not attack Syria unless they attack first, however, he mentioned that Syria (as well as Iran) has very limited military capabilities and no air force. Israel, on the other hand, he said, has the "best air force in the world" and will no doubt succeed in this war, even if other actors come into play. Israel, he said, has easily defeated forces stronger and bigger than Hizbullah (he cited the 1967 and 1973 wars). I asked him if he believes Cairo will break their peace pact with Israel and get involved (out of concern, since I am going there next), and he said he is confident Egypt will remain as Israel's friend. He also stated that Saudi Arabia, who has recently invested heavily into Beirut and therefore have many financial interests at risk, have publicly criticized Hizbullah for their actions, which in his mind was "historical". He further stated that Jordan is Israel's "best-friend" and will act accordingly. Therefore, it was his conclusion that given this conflict will not spread out throughout the region like some kind of Texas wildfire (that's mine, of course) and he criticized the media, particularly CNN, for suggesting that it will.

END OF SUMMARY

I just have one comment before I rush to my last class (and I apologize in advance for any sloppiness or mistakes). It will be interesting to see how many of General Ben Onn's predictions will come true, particularly that Israel's military campaign against Lebanon/Hizbullah will only last another 3-4 days.

This situation is now somewhat personal. After coming home last night, my roommates informed me that a friend of ours, who had shabbot dinner with us last week, was at home in northern Israel when rockets hit his home and killed his mother and his 7 year-old nephew.

Besides this, a friend of mine from D.C. is in Lebanon right now. Before I left for Israel, she invited me to Beirut (flying in from Amman or Cyprus, of course). I can't get a hold of her and I wonder if she's ok.

"Israel Strikes Lebanese Ports"

As the situation continues to escalate here, I'm beginning to wonder if classes are going to be cancelled. My friends and fellow students, especially those from overseas, are feeling very tense. Our phones are constantly ringing, with parents on the other end begging us to come home. On the one hand, I really want to make it through the next two weeks of classes and complete the program. On the other, I wonder if it might be a better idea to cut my losses and go home. As the news gets worse and worse, I'm beginning to feel that way but we are all having such a great time here, personally and intellectually, that it would be a shame to cut our time short.

To get our minds off of this mess, my friend Matt and I went to the American Colony Hotel garden for drinks and $12 cheeseburgers (sorry, babe). The American Colony is a gorgeous hotel in the middle of Jerusalem, next to the Old City, and a favorite hang-out for international journalists. There were quite a few ABC people there who have just arrived for the action. The atmosphere sort of reminded me of the movie "Salvador". In the movie, there is a scene that shows an outside restaurant full of journalists having drinks and chatting about their jobs and the local conflict. It was nice, and having some grilled and greasy American food after eating kosher for so long really hit the spot. When the call for prayers blasted through the minaretts next door to us, we were reminded that we were in Jerusalem.

Weekends in Israel are Friday and Saturday. Tomorrow, Sunday, we'll be back in class and, there's a rumor, we'll be briefed on security issues, the situation with Lebanon (is this official war yet?), and other concerns.

More later...

So far, the farthest Lebanon's missiles have hit is the port city of Haifa (many have speculated that these missiles were made in Iran). Our class has a scheduled field trip to Haifa on Tuesday, which I am sure has been cancelled.

Two weeks and counting...

Hi everyone,

Rather than spending countless hours emailing each of you about my current status in the Middle East, I decided to go ahead and start a blog. I will be sending a link to this blog only to good friends, so, unless you found this site by default, feel lucky and loved. Since I am two weeks over-due, I have lots to catch everyone up on as well as pictures to post. So, let's just get down to what is happening this minute.

As I am sure most of you are already aware, Israel is on the verge of going to war with Lebanon after Hizbullah (or Hezbollah, but I'll stick with the version they use here) threw rockets into northern Israel and kidnapped two soldiers earlier this week. Fast-forward to today, Lebanon's airport has been disabled, bridges have been completely destroyed as well as Hizbullah's headquarters. To put it simply, the shit has hit the fan, and this is not just any regular kind of shit, this shit is boiling hot and it burns...

My time in Israel before this has been very pleasant. The people are very kind, the weather is great, I'm learning Hebrew, and the sites are amazing and oozing with thousands of years of history. In the interest of time, I'll only mention a few words to describe Israeli culture: funky sandals, hummus, "salad" (cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, onions, cheese, and tomatoes chopped into little squares and mixed with olive oil and lemon juice), felafel stands, kippahs, shabbat, kosher (oh, how I miss cheeseburgers and enchiladas), military, egged, sherut, and.... many, many other things, which I'll get into later.

At the moment, Jerusalem is relatively peaceful (we are about 80 miles away from the mess going on in the northern border, give or take a few miles). Today is shabbat and I just had a light dinner at a friend's house. Technically, well, if I was an observant Jew (which all of my roommates are), I would not be on a computer right now, or be allowed to operate any sort of electronic device in observance of the sabbath. Lights and refrigerators are ok, but everything else is off limits. But I am a neutral observer, here to absord and learn, so I will refrain from limiting myself.

So, some of you might be wondering what I am doing here exactly. Well, I am taking three summer courses at the Rothberg International School in the Hebrew University (http://overseas.huji.ac.il/). I am surveying the history of the Modern Middle East, from the time of Mohammad and the emergence of Islam, through the Ottoman Empire, to the 20th century. I am also taking a course on the social-psychological aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict and a third course on Islamic revival and revolution in Iran. Taking these courses in a place like Israel at a time like this is very interesting (let's hope it doesn't get TOO interesting). Much of the current confict stems back to 1948, when Israel was officially established. However, like many other conflicts, there are several centuries of history to consider as well as a high level of ambivalence. Each narrative, whether it is a Zionist narrative or an Arab nationalist, a Palestinian or an Israeli, a Jewish, Christian, or Muslim--each narrative has its own merits. My intention is to hear these different narratives, learn the history, and maybe find a way to understand.

Missing you all,

Denise