May 11, 2006
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Saw the movie Paradise Now last night, which is a story about two Palestinian’s chosen for a suicide mission into Israel. The story portrays the competing perspectives amongst Palestinians towards their political and economic situation with the Israelis. Throughout the film the two bombers demonstrate the struggle to reconcile the competing ideas for how to better the Palestinian cause.
Ultimately, attitude, as much as anything, effects the individual view. The bombers in the movie continuously describe their situation as “death on earth,” and they speak of a life with no justice. In this view, the only way to gain equality with Israel is to bring them to death. A warped view in my mind, but when one ascribes equality and justice over life itself, this view justifies itself. To the bombers, their efforts are all part of their struggle against the Israeli occupation. The movie also depicts those living in the same Palestinian refugee camps (I believe of the West Bank), who do believe in diplomatic means, and who believe Palestinian violence encourages and justifies Israeli actions upon the Palestinians.
The movie made me reflect on the curiosities of geography. Israel is a piece of land about the size of New Jersey, and yet it’s importance in history and in the world today in magnificant. I sleep and wake in quiet Long Island, commute to and work in urban New York City, and life here seems so neighborly. Then I reflect on the underlying racial tensions and violent crimes that still occur here, the murders that we tune out no the news the way Israelis have learned to do with suicide bombers.
I’m excited to be going to Israel in Aug. I just booked my flight, will be spending 2 weeks in the Be’er Sheva, in the Negeve Desert, about 1hours southeast of Tel Aviv. My friend Ilan, a nature guide, who I met working at a camp, will be taking me hiking and perhaps introducing me to some of the conflict, as he has some pretty developed views about this, and within this past year had been called up to the army to defend borders. I’m looking forward to this injection of life.
Tom. I give my 2 weeks notice at work, then begins the process of finding a job in the NYC school system. I think that might be the inection of life from 9-5 that has been sucked from me for almost 11 months now. I truly want to love this experience.
