I just wanted to weigh in on this topic today if I can. As we get into another week of anti-Israel protests on college campuses and police being called in and politicians opportunistically weighing in and all that here in the U.S., I wanted to share a conversation I saw from last week between a pro-Palestinian protester at Columbia and a Jewish student who left campus after experiencing much harassment there simply for wearing low-key Jewish insignia because it was the most inspiring exchange that I've seen on the subject to date not only in terms of the relationship between these student groups, but also in terms of the relationship between Palestinians and Jewish people everywhere. The conversation was facilitated by an NBC host and, to my surprise, it was remarkably constructive to a degree that I think may just give you hope against hope that peace between Palestinian and Jewish people is possible. What specifically made it possible to have such a healthy exchange, I would observe, was the fact that...
1) both students happen to be against the war in Gaza, which makes it clear that both are able to see the basic humanity of the people of Gaza, and...
2) Parker (the Jewish student) pressed the issue that anti-Zionist attitudes don't welcome conversation or respect for Jewish identity.
I think those principles are really the bottom line of how you get past the heat of the conflict and into a productive conversation: you must recognize the humanity of the people of Gaza in a meaningful and substantive way and also the right of Israel to exist. The protests need to be about peace like they are for Nadia, not agitating for the liquidation of the world's only Jewish state, and no one should pretend like Gaza's whole population and every pro-Palestinian activist is Hamas. I only wish that's what I saw more often at these encampments, from politicians weighing in, and so forth.
Okay, having supplied my two cents, here is the convo:
Just food for thought. Please try to see the humanity in other people. Everyone.
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