Gaza Lecture 3/5/2008 CSU Chico

              “Never…never…there is no way.” The young man grew agitated, shook his head in dismay. The reporter questioned him again, ensuring the young man understood the gravity of the question and the answer he replied. Same result.

                This reality was focused on in “Gaza Close-Up,” a lecture held by Rafael Frankel, a reporter that spent a number of years in the region following the vast array of issues. Held in the Plumas building of CSU Chico, a well-rounded crowd of close to forty packed the room. It was good to see so many people, because it’s a sad truth that this issue will not be resolved anytime soon.

                While most of the general public has some idea of what the conflict is about in the region, little have an idea of how it affects people on a personal level. This is one of the primary reasons that listening to Frankel, a great speaker was so educational. One example of Frankel’s insight is found in his experience of the disengagement of Gaza in 2005. According to Frankel, the relationship between Jews and Palestinians in Gaza used to not be the torrid conflict often portrayed on television. Palestinians would often work for the Israelis, particularly in the greenhouse industry, and tight relationships formed.

                However, upon the disengagement in 2005, those relationships were never again to be fleshed out. People that had worked together for years, built friendships for years, and lived peacefully for years were forced to separate. Frankel described a scene in which three men sat on the floor of an empty house, sharing one last meal together. One of the men, an Israeli, was providing one last meal for his faithful workers. The mood was obviously somber, which in my mind would feel like spending your last day with a relative before they passed away. You would never see them again, a fence and guards protecting any chance of physical contact.

                Which leads to the primary problem, a problem that is getting worse each day. According to Frankel, the younger generations are becoming more hostile towards Israelis. There are several causes for this rapid decline in relations, but two primarily stick out in my eyes. The first is that Palestinians, which used to be represented by the PLO government, have now switched to the more radical Hamas. Hamas has done a fine job of instilling hatred in the youth of the Palestinians. However, even the best efforts of Hamas, in my opinion, do not do as much damage as the separation of the two peoples. Never seeing and personally interacting with someone makes it extremely easy to form an incorrect opinion of someone. As mentioned earlier, when the two peoples mingled together, relations were much better. That is now gone. The youth are indoctrinated into a world in which they are constantly told of the evil that is spawned across the fences in a mysterious land. They have no faces to attach to, no personal bonds to measure against the propaganda they constantly are pressured with. Couple this with a dose of poverty, and a group of people to pin the problems on, and hating becomes much easier.   

                Solutions to the problem are few and far between. All sorts of theories are floating around, but none have definitively answered the question. I don’t know that there is a solution, but I am sure that a start is letting the people have personal contact is a start. Nothing heals relationships more than successful business, like was shared in the agriculture industry in Gaza.

 This is a great risk, with a high possibility of war and strife. But isn’t that already the situation? If the old relationships can be rekindled, and new ones formed, there is hope for peace. Because as it stands now, “Never…never…there is no way,” is the only hope that exists.