From Eilat to the Settlements
I took the four hour bus ride this weekend through the Negev Desert, down to Eilat. Eilat is at the southern tip of Israel, right on the Red Sea, which is ironically the bluest water I've ever seen.
Behind me are the mountains of Jordan. Eilat is sandwiched between Jordan and the Egyptian Sinai. There's not a whole lot to say about it. There's a beach, coral, really hot weather and not a whole lot else. My friends and I went swimming, snorkeling and banana boating.
Sunday was a slightly different kind of experience. I went to Gush Etzion, a settlement block in the Judean hills south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. The fighting of the settlers at Gush Etzion played a big role in the Jews holding onto Jerusalem in the war of independence. This is a famous tree called "The Lone Tree." Before other trees were planted around it, it was visible for miles.
We went to Efrat, a settlement community in the block and met with Bob Lang, a local settler.
He invited us into his home.
I think the first thing that struck me about Efrat was how normal it felt. It was easy to mistake the white brick, red roofed homes with driveways, flowers and flags out front for suburban homes. On the news, settlements usually appear as tractors building homes or as mobile homes.
The next thing that struck me was Bob Lang, himself. I half-expected a crazy-looking religious Jew with a torah in his hand and an M-16 strapped to his back. Instead, I was greeted by a short-haired New Yorker with a blue-button down shirt and glasses. When I walked into his house, I was greeted by his two kids on summer vacation, as well as his puppy Maki.
In the house, I saw indications of his religious beliefs and Zionism. He wore a kippah on his head and pictures of Jerusalem hung on his walls. Hanging above the kitchen was a homemade Israeli flag.
"The reason I live here, the reason that Jews live here, is this is our home. If you take out the history book, the Tanakh, 90 percent of the places mentioned are here," he said.
He talked about the importance of this land to the Jewish people and the importance of settlers populating it. He drew comparisons to Zionist pioneers building Kibbutzim on the Lebanese border. His goal was clear.
"I believe there should not be a Palestinian state," he said. "I believe that one day Israel will annex all of this and it will become part of the state of Israel."
Clearly, boosting the Israeli tie to this traditional Jewish land was his main concern. However, he admitted that talking about history will not get you very far when talking to Jews living in Tel Aviv or other Israeli cities. Instead, he said that security is what they're concerned about.
According to Lang, security is another compelling reason for settling in the West Bank. He drew parallels to what happened when Israel left the Gaza Strip. He pointed out that if the West Bank became a terrorist hot spot like the Gaza Strip, the rockets that are now falling in the western Negev could be nailing places like Tel Aviv and Ben-Gurion Airport.
I find the security argument more compelling. His argument about traditional ties to the land is fine, but it ignores current demographics. While Judea and Samaria may have once been Jewish land, they are overwhelmingly Arab today. His arguments sound eerily similar to those of Palestinian extremists who say that their ancestors lived in the land of Israel and one day they will get it back. Both sides need to recognize that when this is all resolved, they will be living together, whether in the same state, or as neighbors.
Still, I'm not sure to what degree I support pulling out of the West Bank right now. If you had asked me six months ago, I would have given a different answer, but the situation in Gaza complicates things. In Gaza, the Jews made a great sacrifice by leaving, but the Palestinians did not make the sacrifice of laying down their weapons. For separation to work, both sides must make sacrifices. Until the Palestinians who fight Israel violently have leaders who hold them accountable for their actions, it seems like suicide for Israel to leave the West Bank. If they do show that accountability and responsibility and willingness to live in peace, I believe there is no reason to deny them a state. I don't think that would make people like Bob Lang happy.
I asked him what he would do if he was forced to leave his home like the settlers in Gaza.
"The government will have to remove me from this house," he said. "Will I ever shoot a soldier? God forbid ever no. Will I ever hit a soldier? God forbid ever no. What I will do is I will protest democratically."
Behind me are the mountains of Jordan. Eilat is sandwiched between Jordan and the Egyptian Sinai. There's not a whole lot to say about it. There's a beach, coral, really hot weather and not a whole lot else. My friends and I went swimming, snorkeling and banana boating.
Sunday was a slightly different kind of experience. I went to Gush Etzion, a settlement block in the Judean hills south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. The fighting of the settlers at Gush Etzion played a big role in the Jews holding onto Jerusalem in the war of independence. This is a famous tree called "The Lone Tree." Before other trees were planted around it, it was visible for miles.
We went to Efrat, a settlement community in the block and met with Bob Lang, a local settler.
He invited us into his home.
I think the first thing that struck me about Efrat was how normal it felt. It was easy to mistake the white brick, red roofed homes with driveways, flowers and flags out front for suburban homes. On the news, settlements usually appear as tractors building homes or as mobile homes.
The next thing that struck me was Bob Lang, himself. I half-expected a crazy-looking religious Jew with a torah in his hand and an M-16 strapped to his back. Instead, I was greeted by a short-haired New Yorker with a blue-button down shirt and glasses. When I walked into his house, I was greeted by his two kids on summer vacation, as well as his puppy Maki.
In the house, I saw indications of his religious beliefs and Zionism. He wore a kippah on his head and pictures of Jerusalem hung on his walls. Hanging above the kitchen was a homemade Israeli flag.
"The reason I live here, the reason that Jews live here, is this is our home. If you take out the history book, the Tanakh, 90 percent of the places mentioned are here," he said.
He talked about the importance of this land to the Jewish people and the importance of settlers populating it. He drew comparisons to Zionist pioneers building Kibbutzim on the Lebanese border. His goal was clear.
"I believe there should not be a Palestinian state," he said. "I believe that one day Israel will annex all of this and it will become part of the state of Israel."
Clearly, boosting the Israeli tie to this traditional Jewish land was his main concern. However, he admitted that talking about history will not get you very far when talking to Jews living in Tel Aviv or other Israeli cities. Instead, he said that security is what they're concerned about.
According to Lang, security is another compelling reason for settling in the West Bank. He drew parallels to what happened when Israel left the Gaza Strip. He pointed out that if the West Bank became a terrorist hot spot like the Gaza Strip, the rockets that are now falling in the western Negev could be nailing places like Tel Aviv and Ben-Gurion Airport.
I find the security argument more compelling. His argument about traditional ties to the land is fine, but it ignores current demographics. While Judea and Samaria may have once been Jewish land, they are overwhelmingly Arab today. His arguments sound eerily similar to those of Palestinian extremists who say that their ancestors lived in the land of Israel and one day they will get it back. Both sides need to recognize that when this is all resolved, they will be living together, whether in the same state, or as neighbors.
Still, I'm not sure to what degree I support pulling out of the West Bank right now. If you had asked me six months ago, I would have given a different answer, but the situation in Gaza complicates things. In Gaza, the Jews made a great sacrifice by leaving, but the Palestinians did not make the sacrifice of laying down their weapons. For separation to work, both sides must make sacrifices. Until the Palestinians who fight Israel violently have leaders who hold them accountable for their actions, it seems like suicide for Israel to leave the West Bank. If they do show that accountability and responsibility and willingness to live in peace, I believe there is no reason to deny them a state. I don't think that would make people like Bob Lang happy.
I asked him what he would do if he was forced to leave his home like the settlers in Gaza.
"The government will have to remove me from this house," he said. "Will I ever shoot a soldier? God forbid ever no. Will I ever hit a soldier? God forbid ever no. What I will do is I will protest democratically."
posted by Nate | 1:36 AM
2 Comments:
I was going to e-mail this to you, but I don't have your e-mail addy.....
Hi Nate,
We've never met, but we're cousins (probably 3rd cousins, but cousins nonetheless). I'm Marcia and Sheldon (Pevsner's) Granddaughter. Jessica went with me to Israel for my Bat Mitzvah back in '97. When Aunt Annette told me you were going to Israel and keeping a blog, I put the site in my bookmarks, and thought....maybe I'll read it, maybe I won't, whatever. In any case, although we've never met, I've gone to your site and kept up with it pretty regularly. I find your blogs interesting and I really enjoy the perspective you give. I haven't been to Israel since 2000, but your descriptions make everything so vivid. I just thought you might like to know that someone is appreciating all of your hard work (not to mention, it'll be great for yourself to look at a while after you return). Just wanted to wish you a good rest of your adventure.
Travel well,
Lori (Margolis)
I really liked this entry and how you gave an objective opinion. And i also liked the ending to it. I'm glad you're learning a lot there. take care.
Post a Comment
<< Home