From Tel Aviv

Last year on my birthday, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Pakistan. This year on my birthday, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) began bombing targets in Gaza to stop the rain of rockets falling on Southern Israel since the end of the ceasefire with Hamas on December 19. I wonder what next year's birthday will bring.

Technically, it is arguable that the incursion into Gaza can be called a war, as it is not a conflict between two countries but rather one country and a political-military entity. In Israel, however, the media has called it as such, as have the politicians. And so I state, that, my observations in Israel during a time of war are most disheartening.

What fails to make sense to me is: How is it that war is still considered an effective method of change? The United States got away with dropping nuclear weapons on Japan in 1945, bringing the war on that front to a stark and horrifying conclusion, but do we, as a human race ever EVER want for that to happen again? Are we not more evolved, more refined, more capable in the 21st century of managing conflict in a place, by the way, where people have more in common that what they have been led to believe?

It is understandable that the world is up at arms, marching through streets shouting slogans to end the war, to call for a ceasefire. It is unfathomable how in a week and a few days, hundreds have lost their lives, thousands have been wounded and those who survive this disaster will be left with nearly nothing to eke out an existence in the aftermath of Israel's attempt to remove Hamas from rule in the Gaza Strip.

However, there is more in the streets than a call for a ceasefire and a call for peace. There is a continued call for the end of Israel, and that is where the conflict intensifies and the Israel-supporting Jews and Israelis supporting the government's decision to invade Gaza, become more hardened, more embittered and more alienated from the rest of the human population.

The discussion, the demonstration, the debate, the tears, the anger cannot be about bringing an end to the State of Israel; it has to be a call for Israel to abide by international law and to make good on its promises. If anyone, the residents of the West Bank have greater reason to be fed up with Israel's policies than with those in Gaza, because Abbas and Fayad are toeing the line and, still, for the Palestinians the situation under occupation has not improved.

The violence is unforgivable on both sides. How it is that Hamas believes it will prevail with this method of rockets falling, killing, destroying, terrorizing and harassing Israelis of all walks of life, including Arab-Israelis, is incomprehensible. How an organization claiming to be for a living, developing nation could be so willing to jeopardize the lives of so many, filling them with hatred along way is also beyond my capabilities of understanding. But they have a right to resist, but they have a right to a country, but they have a right to Jerusalem, to compensation for refugees...

This is not what Hamas wants. Hamas wants an eternal battle, they will always need an enemy, if it is not the Jews or Israel, it is Fatah. If it is not Fatah, it is the United States, it is Egypt, one day it could be their current sponsor, Iran. They play a despicable game with people's lives, with children's lives. Children who have no choice but to emulate what they see and experience in their environment.

At the Tel Aviv University campus last week, Palestinian and Arab-Israeli students held a protest against the violence. Around a hundred students came out in their keffiyehs and their signs of solidarity with Gaza. They were angry and I found out, extremely sad.

My friend Davide and I spoke to two female demonstrators to ask what they wanted to get out of this demonstration. They wanted a stop to the violence. Telling us about a mother and her four children who were killed that morning in IAF bombings. One of the young women said, "They want all of the land," then thought again, "All of OUR land."

I responded to her, "It's all of our land, there's enough for all of us, and we have to all live here, so what do we do?"

I continued to ask her how do we make it stop? What's our plan? Other Jewish students were coming up to them and asking, "what about the rockets?"

They couldn't answer how to make the rockets stop, and neither were they justifying them.

But I wasn't interested in that argument. I was more concerned with the fact that none of us had a plan or a vision of what instead.

I continued to talk to the other young woman about the situation. She continued to tell me about the brutality, the starving, the suffering. And I told her, "I know, I want it to stop too, but how?"

We looked at each other and I asked her if I could give her a hug. I did, and when I pulled away I could feel tears forming in my eyes. When I looked up at her, she had started crying. There was no more anger in her body language, there was total sadness, defeat and helplessness.

She said, "I am so sad I feel like crying."

"Me too," I said.

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Comment by Kana Gopal on January 5, 2009 at 6:42am: dear heidi
what can you do at your level to empower the ordinary people of palestine and israel and raise the awareness that it is "OUR land to share"? i have shared your blog with the online networks i am on, with my contacts in the media and elsewhere and my friends in Israel who conduct Living Values trainings. please feel free to get in touch with orit bar orit@steps-wlb.com and esther khavrous at Israel@livingvalues.net and see if you can work out something to end this senseless behaviour.

since you are journalist, please check out Images and Voices of Hope (http://www.ivoh.org) which sees media as an agent of hope and works thru conversation groups in many countries. you may like to start a IVOH conversation group in Israel.

all the best. congrats on writing from your heart. you are an inspiration.

love
kana

Comment by Rev Isabelle Stone on January 5, 2009 at 6:26am: Thank you for sharing your story Heidi. If any of us knew the solution to senseless war then it would be no more. I am sorry this is not the case and that humanity still chooses to hold on to its differences and uses these to create division from one another. While I am a persistent visionary of world peace, the only peace we have any control over is the peace we can come to know within ourselves by eliminating any internal division and connecting to that which is Divine and of Love. Gaza is in my prayers daily. Thank you for giving this region and the conflict there a face through your blog. In peace, Rev Isabelle

Comment by Dilip Barad on January 5, 2009 at 5:51am: Tolerance is the only answer to stop such violence. People on either side of the borders have valid argument to defend their stance, but if they cultivate the habit of tolerance, compassion and learn to let go things, there can be better world to live.
See, India has all valid reason to attack Pakistan. The world has proved that Pakistan is the epicenter of the terrorism. But still India kept the doors of dialogue open. Keep talking with each other, not with rockets and bombs, but with words, words and words.
If this generation does not have answer to the intriguing situation, leave it for coming generation to solve it. But, do not bomb the doors of dialogue. The best kind of truce has come not because of war but because of words. Always remember what Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation - INDIA said: 'An eye for an eye will turn the whole world blind'.

Comment by Charles Hill on January 5, 2009 at 4:31am: We need to have a common goal to unite all of us together. The words and ideas can only go so far. We must build a giant dome over our sacred city of Jerusalem under which no weapons are permitted, only prayers.

Comment by Kim Pember-Thomas on January 5, 2009 at 3:58am: I wrote to our then Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair, 3 years ago saying, ' Would you send your son to point a gun at another, if not, dont send other peoples sons to do it! Only God can give life, so only God can take it away.'
War is just mans ego struggle for power, it is NOT for the relief of mankinds suffering, as it only creates more of the same. Make love our goal and we will all be the victors not the victims.
Love to you all from Kim, Wales, UK

Comment by Yahya Merchant on January 5, 2009 at 3:39am: Frank,
Law is for the strong, the winners! Lots of Germans and Japanese ended at the Hague. Where were the monsters that illegally and indiscriminately slaughtered hundreds of thousands of civilian men, women and children in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? The strong always write the laws that allow them to kill.

Comment by benowbro on January 5, 2009 at 2:49am: Heidi, I'm from america although I believe there is no separation of the human soul. regardless of race, religion, or national origin. We are but one species of animal. Solutions I would suggest are far removed from mainstream pollitical, agression, or religious. I believe for one Culture I mean true culture is of the human heart and beingness. action in the now for the healing of the suffering in this global community. I suggest the acceptance of the existance of numerous god liknesses. Gods are human concepts. pathways guides towards evolved connections within the communities of earth. One spirit of concious human souls. I like to say Christ is eachother (The light) God is all of us. I have experienced the pain of suffering inflicted on all of us in such events of war, as you have expresed. When one is in the quiet peaceful harmony with nature and the soul. Christ was an evolved human being... and there have been and will continue to be born evolutionary beingnesses who heal and feel the pain and share the wisdom of the ages.
"Carl Yong" I cna only stand in Awe and admoration before the Heights and depths of the soul whos world hides and immeasurable richness of images whih milloins of years of living have stored up and condenced into organic material". This organic material is all of us including, animals. Untill the people who are causing the suffering and bloodshed understand there is no separation and experience the result of their actions for themselves within their very nature. We can only work at shielding ourselves ond others and staying out of harms way. Stop the production and distribution of wepons and other material of war and Hate. Hate is a chemical poison humans manufacture and store in thier bodys. and is not healthy for children ond other living things. Children should be free from teachings of hate. Truth will Prevail. Namaste' Benowbro

Comment by Meeting point...Europe!!! on January 5, 2009 at 2:18am: Mr. Frank Rupp,
That is a very good idea. The question is...whose going to let the Lawyers get busy? Who should make the first step to end this bloody stuff???

Comment by Greg Peterson on January 5, 2009 at 1:44am: btw - I am the volunteer media advisor for interfaith environment projects that involve ten religions including Jewish, Baha'i and Christian. We also have Muslim supporters but there are no Mosques within 600 miles of our remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
I have learned that the world's religions have much more in common than differences - and those who claim that is not so doesn't truly understand other faith traditions.
Those who go to war in the name of religion are not truly faithful to their own religion.
The members of 150 churches/temples have put aside differences and work together on important issues.
We celebrate each other's religion - seek to understand the differences and celebrate the similarities.
No one is encouraged to change religion.
After all, we all pray to the same God or high power - even if our paths there are slightly different.
For those who think their scriptures are 100 percent fact with no flaws or room for error - remember most religious texts have been translated and re-translated many times and the original text was transcribed by humans - who may not have been able to fully understand what they were told or witnessed. We are, after all, only human.
Search the internet for the Earth Keeper Initiative and/or the Earth Healing Initiative in northern Michigan - you'll be impressed at what the interfaith groups have accomplished.

Comment by Pippa Bacca on January 5, 2009 at 1:37am: Io penso che Israele, che puo' contare sull'aiuto e sulle ricchezze degli ebrei di tutto il mondo, dovrebbe dare ai propri coloni delle altre possibilità, in modo da dare più terra agli arabi. Dovrebbe anche finanziarli perchè possano vivere pacificamente a Gaza ed altrove. Invece, uccidendo inermi civili per mantenere territori, fa una figura miseranda, e provoca altre reazioni violente. La pace si ottiene comprendendo i problemi dell'avversario, ed aiutandolo a risolverli. Dopo questi raids, necessariamente aumenterà il terrorismo sia in Israele che contro le proprietà degli ebrei in tutto il mondo.