Profile of Suicide Bombers

When talking about building walls and there affects, its important to look at what these walls are supposed to be keeping out. In our current case, Israeli walls were mainly built to stop suicide bombings. But who are these people who would give there life for a cause in order to take out other innocents?

http://www.israelinsider.com/channels/security/articles/sec_0049.htm

This is an interesting article written in 2001, when suicide bombings were very numerous. It contains references from numerous reporters and specialists of the region. Most suicide bombers are in there late teens to earlly 20's. Interestingly, a good amount of them have at least a highschool education if not higher. This dispels the idea of only the rotten eggs being sent on the most dangerous missions. There is a general consensus that most suicide bombers go through a few months of "Brainwashing" wear they are prepared by their superiors through education sessions and videos. Once they have commited the act, it is looked at as an honorable deed by the family and the general community.

The important point of this article in my opinion is to think about the walls impact on stopping this. Some statistics have shown that Israelis have had much success in stopping these attacks by building the wall, setting up checkpoints and by the intense ratial profiling that goes on by Israeli security. However, for every suicide bomber or extremist that is stopped by these methods, how many more are created by caging the palestinians in. When looking at the many reasons that people choose to become suicide bombers, there is one consistant feeling and reason they all share... Hopelessness. The hopelessness of thinking life wont get any better. A common expression by many suicide bombers was that they would rather end life as a bomb, rather than have it ended by a bullet. To put it more frankly, they would rather have control over their death, since they have no control over their life. And if conditions arent improved from within the wall, than this wall will continue to be less of a security measure, and more of a boarder for a breeding grounds of extremism

The Israelis would never have put themselves in a situation to build such long and controversial barrier just to enjoy peace in their towns if they would accepted the twofold solution on the table. A tangible and sustainable solution can only be reached if the situation is dealt with sincerity and fairness.

The twofold solution on the table is the one proposed by many that says Israel and Palestine should be two independent states that coexist in peace. Obviously, there are some flaws related to this very proposal. We saw the isolated island-like map that Israel proposes as a Palestinian country. The map shows Palestinian to-be villages and towns that are inter dispersed in giant Israeli land. Some honesty is missing in the brains and minds that plotted this kind of map.

Solutions should include the removal of barriers to peace aiming for a final peaceful resolution and future co-existence based upon the root causes of conflict. This must involve recognition and respect for BOTH the Jewish state AND a future Palestinian state. Of course, geography is a big matter when coming up solutions to the Middle East and geographic disputes should resolved with consideration to the international law.

http://www.peaceplangroup.assets.org.uk/israel-palestinesolutions.htm

Walls In The Water

Here is the link to the article that I read: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090526/FOREIGN/705259853/1011/ART

After the Israeli attack on Gaza ended last January a new sort of wall was but into place on Palestinian fisherman, they were no longer allowed to go beyond three nautical miles (5.5 km) from shore. This greatly restricts their ability to fish and feed their families. The Israeli Navy is patrolling the coastal waters off of Gaza under the justification of security reasons. There are 3500 registered fishermen in Gaza. The article goes on to state "about 45,000 Gazans work in the industry, whether in repairs, onshore support or as merchants. With Gazans having an average family size of seven, the fishing industry helps support about 300,000 people, a significant proportion of Gaza’s 1.4 million population.

This artificial wall created by the Israeli navy affects people's sense of freedom. Looking out to see and watching as patrol boats circle and arrest people is very intimidating. The article states "since the war approximately 50 people have been arrested, but all were released back to Gaza the same day." Their boats have been confiscated, but the fishermen have been released. This would give the appearance of the intention is not security, but to remove people's ability to earn a living and feed their family. Otherwise why release all detainees the same day? Actions speak louder than words.

An Economic Solution?

http://web.israelinsider.com/Views/3282.htm

Maybe the Palestine/Israel standoff could be resolved through an economic solution. Somebody would buy the homes in the settlements from the Jewish occupants and let the Palestinians move in. Problem solved.

Who will pay, you ask? Well, the Palestinians can’t and the oil-rich Arabs won’t, so - you guessed it - the United States should pay.

Ok, why not? We pay for everything already. Why not buy back stolen land for someone else to live in? We have the money - we’re Americans!

But, would Palestinians want their homeland bought back for them? An Israelinsider article, An Economic Solution to the Settlement Issue, suggests that money could resolve the issue. 

Problem: How would Palestinians feel about the idea of Jews being compensated for homes and lands that were never theirs in the first place? How would Bashir answer this question? From a Palestinian point of view, wouldn’t cultural pride trump economics?

 

The Land of Sad Oranges

http://www.nobleworld.biz/images/sad_orange.pdf

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/326138/a_glance_at_ghassan_kanafanis_land.html?cat=38

http://middleeast.about.com/od/israelandpalestine/f/me080511.htm


The title of this entry is actually a short story by Ghassan Kanafani, a Palestinian writer who addressed the difficulties of the creation of the Israeli state in 1948. This story was the first exposure I ever had to an Arab, or Palestinian perspective of the al-Naqba (or, Catastrophe). The first time I read it, I had to resist the urge to cry. The second time, and every time after that, I felt hollow. The way in which Kanafani laid out the process of forced exile was, I believe, an exercise in restraint both figuratively and literally. This work is considered to be semi-autobiographical, and his literary choices tend more towards emotional descriptions of land symbolism, history and attachment, rather than volitile reflections on politics or war.
The story follows a Palestinian family as they receive news that they are to leave their homes. At first, no one believes it will be permanent (although the parents collect telling mementos of their homeland), and as the story progresses, the emotional plight being wrought gathers momentum as the father and head of the family begins to break down in the face of his own helplessness. For him, the symbol of his homeland and his livelihood is exemplified in an orange, taken from one of the trees in his former grove. The longer the exile, the more difficult the survival (physical and emotional), and ultimately, the complete loss of hope. By the time the final imagery of a shrivelled orange next to a gun is presented, I always find myself marvelling at how empty my own short (literary) journey has left me feeling. I suppose it is for this reason that I try to be mindful of everyones sorrows in this continuing conflict. I have always tried to make myself aware of every side of an argument so at least I don't have to plead ignorance. This story was the first chance I took to understand the emotional side of a war that continues to divide and harm people. I included a few links at the top of the blog, the top one has an abridged version of the story.
As a child of 12 or 13 at the commencement of the Arab-Israeli War, Ghassan and his family were forced into exile, and they fled to Lebanon before settling in Syria. Politics did play a significant role in his life, as he was a spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He was assassinated in Beirut in 1972 by a car bomb planted by the Israeli Mossad.

So this wall, eh?

http://www.gush-shalom.org/thewall/images/map_big_eng.gif





Before I could write about the wall being constructed, I needed a visual to full understand what I'm working with. The link above is a map of Israel and Palestine, the wall that exists now, and the future plan for the completion of the wall. As I looked at the map, I couldn't help but think about the children involved in this dilemma. Being that we are in the urban teaching program, it is important to me to think about the various children I am going to have in my classroom. I thought about the environment these children are being raised in, the hatred that is being fed to them, and the continuation of this tragedy.

I remember as a child sitting in my fenced in back yard watching my neighbors play in their non fenced in backyards. I would watch them run back and forth all over the neighborhood (our yard was the only one fenced in), playing and having a good time, feeling completely trapped in my yard. For some reason I felt like I was the one who was on the outside, looking in. Thinking about this experience as a child made me think about what the people involved in this mess are feeling. Do the Israelis feel like they have a right to be there? How do they handle knowing that they are occupying the homes of Palestinians who were forced out? Do they feel guilty?

Looking at the map evoked very depressing emotions from me. First, I thought about the success of the wall. Second, I thought about the nonverbal messages being sent between the Palestinians and Israelis...with a wall being constructed how can peace ever be achieved? Is it is a physical barrier that is carried over with emotional effects? If peace is ever achieved, what will be done with the wall?

5-27 Israel Hopes for U.S. Settlement Shift

Read an article in NY Times, but the link is not posting correctly

This article talks about Israeli hopes on swaying the Obama administration towards more favorable terms on the 120 extra settlements along the wall being constructed between Palestine and Israel. The Obama administration and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas have called for an immediate halt on all settlement and wall construction. There are now more than 300,000 Israelis living on these settlements. Israeli Prime minister Netanyahu has said he will halt all settlement expansion, but I think the key to this article is where Netanyahu talks about being allowed to build based on "natural growth" in the settlements. This is quite a loophole that can justify extending settlements based on growing or projected growth of populations. Another big problem has been Netanyahu's refusal to talk about a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The entire point of these talks are based upon this eventual idea. These factors unfortunately make any progress seem out of reach, and a stalemate might be the only consensus. I think part of the difficulty is the sheer number of Israelis in these settlements. 300,ooo people is a very large voting block, and many of these settlers have turned militant in the past when settlements have been closed. Many settlers see it as religious destiny and a fulfillment of Zionism. This view can make negotiations almost impossible.

Aquifer as a unifier?

The link to my source is http://www.ipcri.org/watconf/papers/tamar.pdf

As Katrinka introduced herself, she shared that her thesis was written about the aquifer issues in Israel. Different sources on the internet explain the problem as the Israelis taking Palestinian water and others state that this is Israeli water. This is all a debate because of territorial issues. Not only are the Israelis and Palestinians fighting about sovereignty and independence, but they are starting to have a shortage of clean water for drinking and the water table has been lowered for above and below ground sources. Israel is seeing that their overpopulation and conflict is continuing to contaminate their water, which contaminates their health. Achiron-Frumkin suggests that this issue will become even more conflicting as the independence conflict is resolved. She suggests that both sides will improperly manage the water issue and that because a peace process is in action, both sides will accelerate development, which will add strain to the water sources.
What I see in this issue is the inevitable future of the entire Earth. As political conflicts start to quell, we will see an increase in violent conflict concerning natural resources. If war did not exist, then there would be no population control. If we let everyone live forever, then we would all die together. As I studied Conflict Transformation and watched peacebuilding in action, I wondered how viable physical peace IS in a world that is multiplying rapidly. Am I working to trade one violent conflict for an alternative violent conflict? This is a question that Israel/Palestine must answer before this aquifer issue transforms into their next violent conflict.

I imagine that there will be more territorial conflicts in the future besides Israel/Palestine, so lets take their example as a warning/advice. Instead of fighting over who's water the Western and Northern Aquifer belongs to, Israel/Palestine should take history and geography out of the picture and turn to working collaboratively on sustainable development of this water. Instead of creating another conflict out of the aquifer, create a solution. This natural resource is a common interest on both sides, so make this oen of the first steps to sustainable peace and transform the conflict into cohesive collaboration.

So, far in the book we are reading, it sounds like there was a time when Jews and Palestinians did live in peace in Palestine. So, it might serve them well to look back in their recent history to see why they were living peacefully, what led up to the violent conflict and to reflect on it, reconcile it and give it truth, so that people may have the openness and heart to work together to solve a serious problem that they both face.

Map of "The Wall" & more.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,5860,743170,00.html




In the link above it should take you to a interactive map of the West Bank area, the wall that has been constructed as well as the proposed areas of the continued construction of this separation wall.

I am not extremely familiar with this area, so after looking at the map I went and did more more digging and put this into terms that were more familiar to myself and maybe others. The expected length of this wall when complete is going to be about 403 miles long! The bottom boarder of Minnesota is a little less than 300 miles. The east and west boarder is even less than this distance of 403 miles. I could not imagine what it would be like to have such a massive barrier keeping me from traveling to areas where my friends and family reside, prospective jobs may be located, religious monuments are located, and the area where I as United States citizen also have deep rich history embedded in these areas.

Then I found a website www.ifamericansknew.org. The information on this website include many details that are not covered in the nightly news, or daily newspapers. It is also information that was never covered in any of the many Social Studies classes I have taken in my life time. It makes me percieve the situation in this part of the world slightly different now, as well as adding to my understanding of the worlds perception of the United States (especially in the Arab population).

Message from the Department of Logic

Don't you feel safe when you're hiding behind a wall when a tank smashes through it as if it's not there? Ya, me too. 

Didn't those mission walls around the Alamo work out great for those Texans way back when? 

Didn't you feel safer during the Cold War after the commies put up the Berlin Wall? I bet they did too! 

That wall that's so great that you can see it from space - wow! That thing really held back those Mongols nicely huh? (and also the Japanese over and over again)

That new "wall" we're building down on the Mexican border - won't that be a big success? I bet we'll never see another Mexican again in these parts! And no more drugs will get in anymore either!     Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Drug War Won by Border Fence! Viva la Fence!

Aren't gated communities cool? Sure, I'd live there. (not) Don't you like to hang out with such people? Me too!

Have you ever seen the Japanese internment camps in the California desert? You've got to drive out there and see that wonderful idea! Something to be proud of! Won the big war for us for sure!

The wall the Israelis are building now (with our money no doubt) - I predict another great success! I bet the Arabs will absolutely fall in love with the Jews now! Peace will break out all over! Oh no! With all that peace breaking out, our economy will collapse (some more) (if that's possible) - who's gonna buy our guns and rockets and stuff? I almost forgot - the Israelis get all that stuff from us for nothing! Let's rethink this. If war is the natural state of things between the  Israelis and Palestinians, who are we to mess around with their status quo? I mean, maybe they'd miss all the fun they've been having all these years. And what about our poor little military-industrial complex? On second thought though, that wall is a shovel-ready economic stimulus project, right? Hmm........

 

Our emotional walls

http://www.drgrantmullen.com/the_pathway/cornerstone/spiritualwalls_pt1.html

According to the above article “The Challenge of Spiritual Walls Part 1” by Rev. Roger Rayner, “walls are used to keep the bad out and the good in”. We use them to protect or defend ourselves against pain, embarrassment or alienation. They can also be built when one feels as though they are not worthy or in the way. If a person is told enough times, either verbally or emotionally that they are unimportant or wrong, they begin to believe it and it creates these walls. As I learn about the history of our world and the many different forms of cultural segregation I can see why so many emotional walls have been built. Once these walls are up, it is very difficult to bring them down, but in many ways necessary. If we don’t allow others in, it becomes more difficult to learn, grow and move forward. It keeps us in a place of stagnancy and lost hopes. I believe it is walls like these that create fear of change and the future. Allowing this change would be stepping away from a wall of comfort and onto uncharted territory.

If we give these metaphorical walls a physical trait such as brick or cement it serves a similar purpose of protection or defense and doesn’t allow individuals the opportunity to see into the uncharted territories of the future. They imbed us in the past. Considering these descriptions of the metaphorical wall, it creates an understanding in the difficulties in the Middle East. These walls are for protection and defense, but are also making creating isolation and hardship as well as not providing a means for any forward movement.

Tolo's Post on Zionism

The focus of this blog is an attempt to show why I am of the opinion that the history of Israel and Palestine must be view as a classic example of colonialism. This history must be seen like the relationship between the horse and the rider; the Jews of Israel are the riders, while the people of Palestine are the horse.In order to fully understand and interpret the history of Israel and palestine, it is important to answer the following questions: What is Zionism? How does Zionism relate to Jewish settlement on the West Bank of Palestine? Zionism can be defined as the belief that Israel has a fundamental right to exist. The Zionist movement is the Jewish national movement that was formed to establish a homeland for the Jews who were scattered all over the Diaspora. Zionism in this sense can be equated with colonialism.According to Ilan Pappe (2007) Jewish colonization of Palestine was a little different, in that the Jewish colonizers "acquired the land to settle on" (p. 73). The Zionist movement bought land from Palestinian Arabs and establish something called Kibbutz; a sort of a collective community that was traditionally based on agriculture. On these communal farmsthey also formed the "histradut" (p. 81), a kind of Jewish labor organization. It is important to note that the Zionist movement excluded the Arab Paloestinian majority form this labor movement. In fact they argue that " a necessary condition for the realization of Zionism is the conquest of all jobs in Palestine by Jews" (p. 84). This arrangement to monopolize for the Jewish workers was a clear indication of the exclusion of Palestinian workers from the new society in the making. By this time, the World Zionist Organization (WZO) was massively engaged in purchasing land form the Palestinians and otheher landowners and these lands became the collective property of the Jewish people, it could only be "sublet and then, only to Jews" (p. 85). This arrangement had three aims according Pappe: internal colonization, land nationalization, and corporation, and resolved to establish in Palestine settlement cooperatives (p. 85). This segmentation of the labor market by exclusion of Arab competition determined the separate Jewish identity. Thus, we can see the formation of the Jewish state on Palestinian land without regard of the destiny to the plight of the Palestinian people.Can colonization be any different? You tell me.

TBC*References:Pappe', Ilan (2007) The Israeli? Palestinian Question. A Reader. 2nd Edition. Routledge- Taylor and Francis Group, London and New York.Gilbert, Martin (2008) The Routledge Atlas of The Arab-Israeli Conflict. 9th Edition. Routledge-Taylor and Francis Group. London and New York

Effects of the Israeli Wall

This is a video I found on youtube that gives a prety good visual show of the Israeli wall and how it is affecting different cities:       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCvicMVgM-c

This video talks about the city of Ramallah which is discussed in our book.  It shows how a border can effect simple things in every day life.  Pay attention to some of the grafitti on the wall, such as the part at about 6 min and 45  seconds where you see "Welcome to Abu Dis Ghetto."  I like this video because it really lets you see what it would be like to have a wall of this magnitude in your city that is actually much larger than the Berlin wall was.  However, truth be told, this video is relatively biased towards the Palestinian side because it only shows the effects of the wall on the local Palestinian population and doesnt talk about why it was built or the israeli point of view.  May Israelis would argue that the wall has helped scale back suicide attacks and has made Israel safer.  But it brings up the question of if you are keeping a people caged up like animals, maybe you have more control, but in the long run its creating more anger and resetment.  Also, you'll notice that many of the complaints have had to do with where the wall has been placed.  The wall is based upon the West bank 1949 Armistice line, known as the green line, but has over the years been incorporating new settlements in the west bank for the Israelis.

West Bank Story

here is a video I love that deals with this topics

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8860670051621711477

So what is this project anyway?

Perspectives on “The Wall”: Online Project
One of the themes of this course is to recognize and integrate the various social sciences when confronting a particular real-world problem. In this section of the capstone we will be exploring numerous perspectives to understand the ongoing conflict between the Arab world and the Israelis. In our society, most of us learn about other places, develop opinions, and express our interests (particularly about matters in the Middle East) through media sources. Yet we rarely look closely at what that media is telling us. Is a story about politics or economics? Is the story really about what the main byline says it is? What underlying messages are there that we don’t recognize?

We will be writing blog entries (1 a week, 2 total) that focus on the building of walls between the Palestinian and Israeli populations. You can write about “the wall”, but you can also write about other aspects that divide peoples. You will also be required to respond to others posts (at least 3 responses over the 2 week period). As we engage with the readings, our class periods and the Internet I expect each of you to respond to your own sources of material on the conflict in Israel/Palestine as a civic dialog and learning exercise. What do the social sciences have to offer us as analytical tools? What can we learn about Palestine? About Israel? About the rest of the world’s relationship to these places through what is said in the wide world of media?

There are two parts to this project—the online participation (original posts and responses) and an offline "normal" reflective essay.

Instructions for original posts (online)

For the online portion of the project, you will need to complete one of two following types of tasks:

TASK ONE - ORIGINAL THOUGHTS, ORIGINAL POSTS

The first task is to create at least two new threads (starting messages) ONE a week between May 21st –June 4th that pose different points than those already offered, but also build on common themes. So what should you do? Go surf the net! Go find interesting and perhaps out of the way information. Upload to the blog a link to the article, or embed a video, or copy some political cartoons, or download an Mp3 song and its lyrics. Then analyze this bit of media for us. Be explicit about the assumptions you are making, the social science tools you are employing, and the analytical connections you are creating. These original 1st level posts must be completed by the Wednesday noon in order for your peers to have an opportunity to reply back to your ideas. It will be to your benefit to contribute your first thought early (to avoid having to read all other messages in order to see what points have not yet been made and then have to figure out how to link your post to the previous themes already expressed).

Instructions for responses

TASK TWO - CARRYING AN IDEA FARTHER

The second task is to make at least three replies to blog threads started by other members of the group. The responses to others can answer questions posed, amplify and support points (with evidence and observations), or question and pose counter-arguments to points made by others (with evidence and observations). You can make your replies in text alone or add media to your replies. These responses can diverge, reflect or support other statements already offered. However, each contribution must offer significant additional information (i.e. -- an "I Agree!" message will not earn points).

Expectations--or what is it I will grade....

Here is what I will be looking for in your online participation:

1. Regular participation!– I expect you to contribute your thoughts to your groups’ blog regularly throughout the 2 weeks of the project. Don’t just drop in once or twice and expect a good grade. You are expected at a minimum to upload 2 items (with a discussion of what you see) and respond to at least 3 posts by your groupmates. This level of participation, if done well, can earn you a B, but more is needed for that coveted A.


2. Interesting and diverse postings—are you only looking at CNN? Not that CNN is wrong, their articles should be on the blog too, but try also looking farther afield. This could be news sources from around the world, or different types of media (cartoons, Youtube, mashups, flickr, etc)


3. Depth of reflection and analysis– once you have found an item to share with the group, don't just state an opinion and stop, develop your ideas, show why you view the item the way you do. Don’t be afraid to share experiences where relevant, but always keep your tone and content respectful; A willingness to examine your own assumptions –the best way for YOU to get credit for examining your assumptions is if others (graciously and respectfully) point out the assumptions you are making. Thus don’t be afraid to disagree with each other. Or even if you do agree, can you find a source that wouldn’t? What are the assumptions that separate the two?


4. Direct references to our reading material as we go along.

What to avoid when blogging

Here is what to avoid:

1. Attacking another point of view or person (disagreeing is fine, but be respectful and give your reasons);
2. simple yes or no responses;
3. long winded responses in most cases a few well developed paragraphs should do;
4. and late responses.

In the online environment, as in the classroom, I require that you treat your instructor and all other participants on the blog with courtesy and respect. Your comments to others should be factual, constructive, and free from harassing statements. You are encouraged to disagree with other students, but such disagreements need to be based upon facts and documentation (rather than prejudices and personalities). You need to contribute in intelligent, positive, and constructive manners within the activity. Unprofessional or disrespectful conduct will result in a lower grade for this assignment. Behaviors that are abusive, disruptive, or harassing will result in being denied further access to the blog and may result in further disciplinary actions. Warnings will not be given; part of the learning process in this course is respectful engagement of ideas with others.

Part 2--The Write UP

For the reflective write up I would like each of you to analyze what happened within the blog as a whole. This analysis should include 2-4 ‘themes’ or ‘categories’ that you trace through the posts on the blog—this could be the social science disciplines, or could be the ‘kinds’ of walls, or the relationships built to the readings, or something entirely different!

In many ways I picture this project as a research paper without the final product. What I mean by this is that online you are discovering and interrogating sources—analyzing them as raw pieces of data. In this written (and more formal) portion, I want you to create/impose order on the chaos that is data collection. This write up is the analysis or discussion portion of a ‘normal’ paper, with some ‘conclusionary’ remarks for good measure. This essay may include personal observations and will definitely show what you thought most interesting.

The essays should be between 800-1000 words long and are due on June 11th by 5pm. Please email your essays to Tom O'Connell--he will then forward them on to me.