Reflections after a Long Hiatus

You all probably thought I fell off the face of the planet. Well, I'm happy to say that I haven't, I just got consumed with vacations and schoolwork and kept pushing off the blog thing.

I'll start out with a short reflection on what I've been thinking about the past few months.

When I came back to Jerusalem in September, I came back with what I would call a "balanced" perspective. I wanted to learn how to live here happily and see the good in both sides. I had idealistic ideas that if both sides simply talked to each other and there was peace education then peace would come easily. I do believe that both sides need to talk to each other and that the ever growing separation is only building fear and hostility on both sides. I am slowly coming to realize that this is simply not enough. I am not so sure if a "balanced" perspective, is a helpful perspective.

I am reminded of a quote by Desmond Tutu ( a similar sentiment is now painted on the separation wall) that goes as such: "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

This quotation convicts me that I should not be neutral in my "balanced" perspective. It's ok to listen to both sides and even enjoy parts of the culture of both sides, but there are clear injustices in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conflict is not balanced. It is clear when living here, that Israel is much strong than Palestine, and the daily injustices carried against Palestinians are clear. I am still filled with frustration, sadness, awe of the injustice, every time I cross the checkpoint, every time I think of families that were kicked out of their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, so that settlers could move in, every time I hear of children being harassed by settlers on their way to school, and every time I hear of an old man stabbed in his bed by soldiers in the middle of the night. These are the stories that don't make the big headlines. World news hears of bus bombings in Jerusalem and the escalation in Gaza and southern Israel, but rarely are the daily travesties of Palestinian life heard in the world news, yet these are the things that happen most often and are the most harrowing on a people and the spirit.

I will continue to listen and to learn, but I know that their is injustice in this place and I am continually convicted to not stand by as a mere neutral observer.