On the Conflict in the Middle East: Several Perspectives

The current situation in Israel is sad and tremendously complex. We know there is always a wide range of viewpoints and reactions around Israel and hope by sharing a few different perspectives here, we can help people be better informed. While potentially difficult, having deeper conversations about these issues seems important for developing greater understanding.

Thoughts from the Community

Rabbi David Edleson, Temple Sinai

We are all keenly aware of the current escalation of violence in Israel. I am also aware of a demonstration in Burlington this Saturday from “decolonizeburlington,” a name that clearly expresses the absurd lie that Israel at its heart is a European colonizing force against innocent indigenous people. These moments are very difficult for us, and put us in the difficult position of having to try and explain complicated histories and ideas that don’t fit neatly on a bumper sticker or poster. Given the rising tensions, I thought I should write to you with some thoughts about what is happening, but also with a reminder that in this community, we don’t all agree about this conflict, but we are all coming from a place of good intentions and a desire to be ethical. May we pray to listen more, understand the complexity more deeply, and be aware of our own inclinations to take sides, go to our corners, and feel morally outraged and alienated. What follows is my attempt to give you more information about some key elements not being covered in brief news reports and social media posts.

I. ONE CAUSE: PENDING EVICTIONS. It is Ramadan, which is often a flashpoint. In this case, the usual tensions have been heightened by impending evictions of several Arab families from their long-time homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. These evictions follow upon a good many evictions in Arab neighborhoods around Jerusalem which already were the focus of much anger, protest and litigation. This situation is legally and politically complicated. Jews owned large sections of the neighborhood before Israel’s independence, but when Jordan took it over, they seized the homes and gave them to Palestinian supporters whose families have been living there since. Israeli courts tend to side with Jewish claims to ownership before the wars more than to Palestinian claims to ownership based on the ruling power giving them the homes. Human rights activists claim it is a violation of international law; legal scholars are divided. Ethics and justice are a different argument than law, but one that also divides along ideological lines. On top of these specific houses, Netanyahu’s government has a clear pattern of generously granting permission to Jews to build new housing in the neighborhoods around Jerusalem, while strictly limiting Palestinians from building and drawing strict lines around certain neighborhoods. Regardless of the legal merit, it is infuriating for many Palestinians to see Jewish settler groups moving into homes from which Palestinian families were evicted. Similar policies are at play in the West Bank, where prior to the formation of Israel, large areas of land were held by absent Arab landowners who resided in Istanbul or Baghdad and who were willing to sell land and houses to Jewish buyers. The deeds, if they can be found, are Ottoman, and many Palestinians do not have deeds for houses their families have occupied for generations. I have personally gone with human rights groups to witness one of these evictions (in a different neighborhood), and to protest it. It is heart-wrenching to watch, as any eviction is, but it is based on years of wrangling in court, not unilateral moves by the Israeli government. Still, there is a strong sense and clear evidence for a pattern of expansionism by Jewish groups aligned with Netanyahu into Arab neighborhoods around Jerusalem and a displacement of Palestinian families that live there. It is slow as it goes through the courts, and takes place house by house, building by building, but over decades, it becomes obvious, and it understandably enrages Palestinians. These pending evictions in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood (famous for the American Colony hotel) were the ostensible catalyst for the rioting on the Temple Mount. However, I suspect the catalyst was more politically organized than that.

II. ANOTHER CAUSE: POLITICS – A TALE OF TWO ELECTIONS. Palestinian uprisings such as this are almost always organized and supported by one or another of various political factions. Palestinian President Abbas defiantly called for elections, the first since 2005. (Somehow the left seems to ignore the fact that the authoritarian Palestinian leadership has not allowed elections for over 15 years.) Previously, Abbas’ party had ruled that Hamas representatives could not run for elections, but this was to be a full election. Quickly, rival factions organized against Abbas, including from within his own party, and when it became clear Hamas or a more militant faction of Fatah was going to win the election, Abbas cancelled them. He conveniently blamed this on Israel for putting up obstacles for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, who are residents of Israel, to vote in the election. Hamas has been in a heated battle with Abbas’s party, Fatah, since 2005. I see Hamas’ launching hundreds upon hundreds of missiles into central Israel in the name of protecting Jerusalem as a fairly naked political maneuver to gain support in the West Bank. I believe they are moving to gain power in Ramallah and the West Bank, blaming Abbas for cooperating with Israel. Hamas also knows they are making it more likely that Netanyahu finds a way to stay in power. Why would they do that if they don’t benefit from him staying in power? Assuming they are simply angered at injustice and so firing missiles is an incredibly patronizing attitude toward their political strategists. Israel is also dealing with an election, their fourth in the past years. Netanyahu, despite Israel’s vaccine success, was not able to win enough votes to secure a coalition and remain Prime Minister, and now other parties are attempting to form a coalition and appoint a Prime Minister other than Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s support is largely based on the sense of him as strong on national security, so showing a very strong military reaction (or overreaction) bolsters his political standing and drives a wedge between the parties trying to form a coalition without him. As I’ve said before, I think both Abbas and Netanyahu benefit from the perpetuation of this conflict, and as long as that is so, there is no reason to expect a shift. Blaming this on Israel or on the Palestinians seems, to me, to miss the larger political calculus that drives many of these seemingly spontaneous flashpoints of violence.

III. Is Israel Overreacting? I’m not a military expert, but certainly Israel’s strong military reaction to this, and especially bombing Gaza, creates a media image of poor Palestinians being battered by the “bully” of Israel. The truth is much more complex. Last night, more than 500 missiles were shot from Gaza into Israel. Two nights ago it was 300. Israelis have been rushing from schools and dinner tables into bomb shelters, with air raid sirens going off constantly in most of the population centers of the country. Here is a map of where the missiles were aimed. Here is a link to a short news story to give you a visual sense of both sides: I keep wondering how the U.S. would react if 300 missiles were fired into San Diego, Phoenix, and LA from the Baja Peninsula. I suspect our reaction would be significantly greater. Israel is a democracy, and being under missile fire doesn’t prompt more people to vote for peace or to trust the Palestinians as a partner in peace. Hammas is also widely known for putting its military infrastructure and even armaments into apartment buildings, hospitals, and schools. This isn’t a ‘claim;’ it is a fact. Israel has indeed blown up apartment buildings in Gaza, after sending warning to evacuate them since the buildings were being used by Hamas to fire missiles and house military equipment. It is also true that Israel has a ‘shock and awe’ attitude about Hamas and Hezbollah, and while I personally don’t support that ethically or strategically (I think it makes generations more of hatred and radical violence), I don’t think any nation on earth would tolerate hundreds of missiles being sent into to civilian centers of their nation. We can disagree about proportionality, but doing nothing is certainly not a reasonable or desirable option. Having been in Israel during the first Gulf war when it was under attack from missiles from Iraq, I know how angry it makes people to be under attack like that, angry and terrified, and they want their government to do something. That is true for Israelis and it is true for the residents of Gaza. And so the cycle continues to the great harm of the most vulnerable people but to the political advantage of the leaders.

IV. Media Bias. One of the things that has bothered me most today has been the failure of media to reflect the complexity of the situation. Today the online version of Washington Post repeatedly posted Instagram or Twitter examples that were blatantly biased anti-Israel tweets , and posted none from a different point of view. The New York Times headlined an article stating Palestinian casualties as a fact (even though there is a well documented pattern of Palestinians officials greatly exaggerating the numbers which are then corrected months later by the UN.), but that “Israeli reported” the number of casualties. Notice how often Palestinian numbers are reported as fact with emotional video, while Israeli numbers are ‘alleged’ or ‘reported’ or ‘claimed.’ I am not bothered by criticism of Israel’s response, or its policies. I am greatly bothered by the pervasive tendency NOT to hold Palestinian leadership or voters to account, as if they are passive victims of an aggressive Jewish state, and as if firing hundreds of missiles into civilian centers are not, de facto, acts of war. Palestinian leadership (both Hamas and Fatah) has been famously corrupt, divided, violent and authoritarian. Yet, that is almost never focused upon or reported on as a central, driving part of the conflict. It’s taboo to even bring that up in most liberal settings. Predictably, the American Jewish political world is divided as well. J-street issued a statement yesterday which infuriated me by railing against Israel’s actions but only peripherally holding Palestinians accountable for any of the violence and escalation. Did Israel overreact and provoke by going into Al Aksa during Ramadan? Obviously. Did Palestinians plan and organize this provocation and then retreat into Al Aksa? Obviously. J-street seems eager to jump on Israel while offering a tepid fourth-paragraph criticism of Hamas for firing hundreds of missiles into Israel over something that did not happen in Gaza. Their statement today was better, but their tendency to start off with headlines that are very damaging to Israel and also inaccurate and misleading makes it very hard for me to support them. AIPAC has done a clear effective job of putting out the Israeli point of view and holding Hamas to account, but it also has tended to use emotional videos while avoiding holding Netanyahu or Israel in any way accountable for the government’s inflammatory actions. The American Jewish community remains pulled between these two poles, and polarized, with the majority of Orthodox Jews now identifying as Republican while the majority of non-Orthodox Jews identify strongly as Democrats or Progressives. This division along denominational lines is not good for us as a people. Anti-semites don’t care which party we vote for.

V. Temple Sinai. As a Reform synagogue, we are committed to the pursuit of peace and justice for both Palestinian and Jewish Israelis, and we are committed to Israel’s right to exist within secure borders and to defend itself from attacks. We also recognize that more than half of Israel’s population are themselves refugees from North African and Middle Eastern Moslem nations, and the Israel is a legitimate expression of Jewish self-determination, and a historical necessity given centuries of violence and oppression of Jews in many of the lands in which we lived. It is not easy on either side of our current political divide to hold a complex view of this; those around us would have us choose sides and move to one side or the other. Let’s try and resist overly simplified, emotionally driven narratives (and posts) from either viewpoint, and instead simply tolerate the discomfort, the complexity, and the conflicting feelings that these times bring up. We can’t resolve them. That is up to the Palestinians and Israelis. Most of all, let’s not turn on one another, or away from one another. We need community at these times.

Cantor Scott Buckner, Israel Congregation-Manchester

This week, Jews and others around the world are watching in horror as the tensions in the Middle East, which perpetually exist even during times of relative quiet, again have erupted into violence. We pray for a speedy cease-fire and for the renewed possibility of diplomatic efforts toward peace. Hope for a better tomorrow may rest with the many organizations in Israel that continue to try and build bridges of understanding. One great example being the Arava Institute, so dear to the heart of our Rabbi Emeritus Michael Cohen and to all of us at Israel Congregation. As such I share with you this statement from Dr. David Lehrer, Executive Director of the Arava Institute as an example of the determination to change the ongoing cycle of violence which represents a ray of hope. There are many other organizations working in this way and we pray for their success in the coming years so that understanding, collaboration and love replace distrust, alienation and hate.

"Last night, my children and grandchildren, like many Israelis and Palestinians in the region, came under attack from bombs falling from the sky. I pray that the current wave of violence will end quickly. I pray that the leaders in this region finally come to the conclusion that violence is not the way to resolve our differences.

The Arava Institute remains committed to helping to find another path through a common concern for our land, our environment, and our planet. Once this cycle of violence has subsided, together with our Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian colleagues, we will pick up the pieces and start again to rebuild trust.

At times like this, it is easy to feel powerless but our power comes from our dedication to peace, the courage of our faculty, staff, alumni and students, and the resilience of the relationships we have built with our Palestinian and Jordanian partners across borders. Together, despite the ongoing political conflict, we continue to seek a path towards peace, reconciliation, security, sustainability, and self-determination for all.” - Dr. David Lehrer

For all of those who may have friends and family in Israel, we pray for their safety along with all those in the region. May God grant all of Israel the great gift of peace.

ISRAEL UNDER ATTACK

Dear JCVT Community:

I decided to write this letter for many reasons, including  my love of the State of Israel and its people, my love of Judaism, and, as a child of survivors, my commitment to “Never Again.”

Instead of focusing on Shabbat and Shavuot as planned, I felt it important to help make our community aware of why we must stand behind our fellow Jews in Israel.

I will not touch on the politics of this conflict as there are guilty parties on all sides. I will not touch on the geopolitical reasons for this horrific, needless conflict. I will touch on the simple undeniable fact that a terrorist organization called Hamas (whose charter clearly calls for driving out all Jews from Israel and setting up an Islamist regime) has decided to shoot 1,800 rockets on unarmed Israeli civilians. No country in the world would or should have to put up with such a war crime. We American Jews would surely support our government in retaliating if an organization bent on wiping out the U.S. would launch rockets at our families from Mexico,  Canada or Cuba!

I’m grateful that Israel has an army that has one of the strongest codes of ethics in the world about protecting civilian lives to the extent possible, while protecting  its citizens.. I’m saddened that so much talent and so many billions must be spent on the military; just imagine how much could Israel have done with this money if it didn’t have to face this onslaught of vile hatred!

I urge you during these difficult days to support Israel regardless of your opinion about the country’s leadership. (Surely, there are many countries whose behavior would never stand up to the kind of scrutiny directed at Israel – and yet no one questions their right to exist!) Please make your voice heard in support of peace and contribute to organizations supporting Israel, including Magen David Adom (Israel’s Red Cross).

Am Yisrael Chai! (The nation of Israel lives)

Wishing you Shabbat Shalom and Chag Shavuot Sameach

Ted Molnar

President, JCVT