Patterns

After going through today's readings, I am amazed at the pattern that is coming up again and again throughout history. I see that in the continual shuffling of power in Jerusalem, the actions taken by its leaders, and the religious tendencies that come up from the groups involved. Whether it is a Christian, Jewish, or Roman leader, almost without fail, they failed to represent the minority groups. Without fail, the minority groups became disgruntled and rose up against their oppressors.

That has caused me to reflect on the discussions had throughout our class. When the topic of Jerusalem has come up, the idea that the Israelis are oppressing the Palestinians is brought up. I am becoming less and less surprised with that perception as I am looking at the history of that region. I can think of very few if any times where the governor of that region has equally represented all of the faiths. Sure there have been a few here and there but I struggle to find a group that has done just that.

With that in mind, the thoughts I have are along the lines of how can we fix a problem that has been reoccurring throughout history for thousands of years? Every major monotheistic faith has had the opportunity to rule in that region and at one point in time or another, they have all been the perpetrators of this conflict. You cannot simply blame this on religion, borders, resources or history. This conflict has to do with people simply not being willing to respect one another.

That respect is the key in my mind. There has always seemed to have been the mentality of it is "us versus them" and that is the powder in the keg that is ready to explode. This requirement is universal for all parties involved in the conflict. Every one is to blame for this situation. When I look back on the utopia that is my last post, that is only possible when the actors in the Israel/Palestine conflict learn to come together and work through their differences for the common good. This conflict is far too old and far too unsustainable to continue with this status quo. I look forward to the day where people not only in Israel but all around the globe learn to do just that.

A One State Solution?

Disclaimer:

Consider me an optimist with this post, but also please take it for a grain of salt. With the amount of issues related to the conflict and solution to the Israel/Palestine problem, I don't see many ways around these issue other than the two sides coming together and learning to live alongside the other as equals.

That being said, I am going to take the suggestion of Noura and think outside the box with this. My solution is simple and it is a one state solution. The government would be similar to that of the Lebanese "Gentleman's Agreement" which would create a system where an Israeli Jew would be the Prime Minister while a Palestinian would become the President. This can change over time as whoever recieves the majority vote will be Prime Minister and the person who wins the second most will be President (this system is similar to that of the United States prior to the Civil War).The legislature would be made up of Israeli and Palestinian parties and the Prime Minister would be put in charge of forming a coalition government similar to its current ability. The President's job in that situation would be to approve of the coalition and to work with the Prime Minister in all executive duties. Each group (Palestinian and Israeli) would have its own Judiciary and a system of appeals up to the point where the Supreme court would have to be split evenly between the two sides. The deciding vote would then come from the President or Prime Minister depending on the appeal.

The reason I chose a one state solution is because to me, the two state solution is becoming more and more impossible with every passing day. The two main issues that are the reasoning behind this are water and the settlements. I will address the later first. In my mind, the settlements have become far to integrated into the West Bank for a new border for a second state to come to pass. The settlements also bring a strong economy as well as something else very important to the long term development of the West Bank and that is agriculture. That would provide for a much more stable West Bank in the long run.

What is required for agriculture though, is water. That is the first and most important issue in my mind to this conflict. All advanced nations require massive amounts of freshwater in order to survive. Currently, the main source of freshwater is from the Jordan river as well as the largest underground aquifer is underneath the West Bank. Under a two state solution, both of those go more directly to the Palestinians and I do not see the Israelis letting that happen. Iraq has been described as the last Middle Eastern war to be fought over oil and the rest will be fought over water. By giving up the rights to the freshwater, I only see a war being the result of that.

This map shows the water location and the issues surrounding it.

By forming a one state solution as described above, both of these key issues can be solved. This would take massive consolations of key issues such as security and justice by both groups. In order for this to happen, the Israelis must be willing to concede some of their national identity as a Jewish state and to allow for equal participation by the Palestinians. The Palestinians must also give up on their hopes for their own state and as well as be willing to put up with what is sure to be years of accommodation into this new system of governance.

Both sides would have to halt aggression immediately and the current powers at hand must begin to solve internal issues related to the conflict. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas must begin to negotiate and determine who has legitimate authority over the Palestinians. The ruling parties of Israel must come together and begin to negotiate not only amongst themselves but also with the Palestinians. The past problems related to injustice must come to a conclusion which will probably have to happen by an international court.

Once again, this solution may seem very optimistic and probably will never happen. But once again, in my mind a two state solution has become nearly impossible. Let us all hope that under whatever circumstance the solution comes, that the two groups will one day learn to coexist and to treat each other as humans with dignity and respect.

Imagio Dei

Imagio Dei is a Latin phrase that carries meaning to many people. Translated, it means image of God, but that carries with it so many meanings. According to the readings, that concept caused many ancient Jews to reflect on the presence of God. Where does God reside? Is it only in the temple? Or can the image of God be seen elsewhere throughout the world? To the Christians, that phrase could mean the image of God in the believers heart. All of these play into how believers of the two religions view their lives as well as their holy places.

If the image of God was found in the temple, it is no wonder why the Jews originally cared so deeply for the temple. The crisis came about with where God was during their diaspora whether it is with the Babylonians or the Romans in A.D. 70. Did God go with them when the temple was destroyed or did He leave them on their own when it was destroyed? For those who believed that God went with them when the temple fell, the concept of carrying God with them gave them much hope and encouragement that the hardships they were facing would be short lived.

That concept has carried great meaning with me. To believe that in under no circumstance God will still reside with me is a powerful beacon of hope. Throughout the times when all else has seemed to fade away whether it is my health with my brain tumor, or when my family is collapsing with my parents divorce, God still resided with me. One of my favorite quotes is: "If I had not felt certain that every additional trial was ordered by infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated sufferings." by Adoniram Judson. I can say with confidence that the concept of God residing with me rather than in a temple is the source of that love and mercy.

At the same time, I can understand why the ancient Jews felt so strongly about the image of God being found in the temple. From the very beginnings of that establishment under Solomon, God had resided in the temple among the Ark of the Covenant. Their desire to restore that under Cyrus, the Greeks, and then after its fall with the Romans, shows how important that understanding is to them. I am amazed by their passion to restore the temple and to keep Jerusalem as a holy place, set apart for the worshiping of Yahweh. A passion that is continued to this day.

Childhood Memories

After I finished the readings for Tuesday, I was caused to think back on more than just my time in Jerusalem, but my entire childhood growing up. To me, many of the stories referenced in the book  carry much personal meaning to me in that I grew up hearing the stories of Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and all of the others referenced. I can think back on times where I was sitting in Sunday school learning about Joshua's conquest of Canaan or Davids flight from Saul and these are memories that hold value to me.

What I appreciated more about the reading was the context that the author put it in. When reading these stories in scripture, it is difficult to keep everything in context. Once more, by framing these stories with a historical as well as a geographical setting for me, they became more real to me. That is one reason why I found these readings to carry so much meaning to me; they put the stories into reality. That is also what made my first visit to the Middle East so amazing. That trip put a face to what I grew up believing and basing my life around.

As with the other readings, the question as to why Jerusalem was important was asked. I still find it amazing that a city with so little geographic importance became the center of the region. After reading these chapters though, I am coming to realize the importance of the symbolism behind this city. From its very beginnings, the people typified Jerusalem with a deity. It is beginning to make sense to me why the conflict around this has less to do with its regional significance in trade or as a military installation, but rather as a center of people's faith.

"Even those who have no interest in any of the traditionally holy cities and have no belief in the supernatural often have special places to which they like to repair. such sites are "sacred" to us because they are inextricably bound up with our conception of ourselves; they may be associated with a profound experience that transformed our lives, with memories of early childhood, or with a person who was important to us" 

                                                                               Karen Armstrong

With this in mind, it amazes me how people hold on so dearly to their upbringing in regards to cities such as Jerusalem, Mecca, or Rome. These are all places that people are raised, just as myself, holding special circumstance to them. History tells that story as well. Time and time again there has been conflict raised over the status people hold with these cities. I look forward to the day when peoples of all different background and upbringing can come together with respect to the other's perception of the city and admire how it makes those cities all the more special.

Weblog Journal One

To tell the truth, I really had no idea what to expect of this class. I actually signed up for it a class late, after spending time deciding if I wanted to take this or another Islamic law course. I chose this course for a variety of reasons. The first one was because I feel like I have a personal connection with the city of Jerusalem. Having spent time there in 2009, I felt an urge to continue where I left off during that trip in regards to my knowledge of that city. Another reason was because I am always interested to hear what people's perception of Jerusalem is. There are so many different ways of viewing the conflict surrounding that city that I feel as if I could spend an entire lifetime conversing about it, and still not have the whole story. My last reason for choosing this class was because of it's format. The idea of speaking to people from all around the world over the internet is fascinating to me and that only will add to my interest in the opinions of the city. I think the usage of this technology gives me a truly novel way of understanding the conflict and I am excited to see how it unfolds.

So far, this course has proved all of my reasons to be well founded. The topics of the readings have caused me to reflect back on my experience when I was in Jerusalem as well as my time since I returned. The second set of readings set a historical background for this city and its importance. I remember how my friends from Israel suggested that I do that before I leave for the country and now that I am reading that topic again, it has shown me how much I have learned. Prior to leaving for Israel the first time, I knew very little about the country. I was limited to what I had learned in school and my personal reading that I had done. Now since my return, I have grown in my understanding of Jerusalem and I no longer view it just through a historical lens like the second readings. Rather, I see Jerusalem as a wide set of conflicts, organic, and always changing. The first set of readings only supported the idea that Jerusalem is more than just a historical landmark, but rather, it is a blend of cultures and traditions that is nearly impossible to describe through any means.

Another aspect of this class which has had value to me is the classroom discussions. These discussions have proven to be very insightful as to the variety of opinions in the class. It has been amazing to see the openness of students from very different backgrounds with often opposing views be willing to speak up and ask questions. It is encouraging to see the cooperation and willingness to relate in all of the students minds and it has caused there to be a very positive dialogue. I look forward to hearing more about people's opinions and how they formed them in the coming weeks. To me, this will provide just as much insight into the conflict as any reading I could ever read.

Lastly, the opportunity to blog and interact with students as per the classes requirement, is exciting and innovative to me. While this portion of the class is still in it's infancy, already I have begun to see the potential this style of learning has. I have enjoyed reading the students opinions on their blogs mainly for the reason that I can look back on their work more than once and reflect on it. I almost feel like I am reading a students paper, where I can spend time out of class reflecting on what that person says, rather than only hearing students opinions in class. I also see that the opportunity to speak with classes from all around the States will give me even more opportunities to hear opinions of the conflict in Jerusalem.

Once more, this class has and I believe will continue, to provide me with new ways of learning about the conflict surrounding Jerusalem. I am very excited to interact more with the students here at OSU and from elsewhere and to understand their background more. I truly believe that unless I do my best to relate to people and where they are coming from, that I will not be able to get the most out of any discussion. This class has proved that I am not the only one who thinks that, and that gives promise to a long term solution to Jerusalem.

The Three Influences

After spending some time reflecting on the readings for today,there were a couple main themes that stood out to me. The first one was that there is no one group whether it be Muslims, Jews, or Christians that is without fault for the current status of Jerusalem. It truly seems to me that all of them tell a similar story of how although they once cherished and controlled the city peacefully, each group lost that control and often by bloodshed. The next theme for me was similar to that of my previous post and that is each group here must be willing to concede in certain areas for peace to ever happen in Jerusalem.

I am also amazed by the reading Jerusalem Then and Now because the importance of the city really struck me. It has no obvious military importance, but so many bloody conflicts have arisen over it. It has no major natural resources or food supplies, but its siege almost brought the Jews to their breaking point in 1948. The city is a symbol of religious diversity, but no religious coexistence.

Those facts are what have amazed me thus far throughout this class. I think it is easy to be tempted to think that the issues facing the Israelis and Palestinians have to do with statehood. The issues in how to handle Jerusalem alone are enough to divide the people, but there are many more on top of that. Issues such as water allocation, border security, trade routs, and political structure are just as important as anything else before the Palestinian/Israeli issue will ever be resolved.

To end, I will comment on another quote from the reading "The History of Jerusalem".

"Thus, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim beliefs, which have repeatedly proven themselves to have a profound influence on Jerusalem's history, must be considered with the utmost gravity."

This sums up all of the readings we had to read and also the point of this post. Each group involved in the conflict in Jerusalem has had a profound influence on the city's history. Until each of their respective part in that history is acknowledged by each group, this conflict has little chances of ever coming to a peaceful end.

Two Truths

"It is true that society's [Jerusalem's] problems are deeply rooted in tradition. It is also true that solutions to these problems can grow from the same place."

                                                                                                  -Amy Horowitz    

This statement seemed to outline issues found in the readings over the past couple days the best. Hearing the story of the attempt by the Israeli and Palestinian women who came together to put on the Jerusalem festival for the Smithsonian Institute, showed if these truths could be the reality. From both sides of the table, the two ethnic groups (Jews and Arabs) were set forth with the task to display the cultural characteristics and traditions to put forth on the National Mall. What a feat that would be.

While it was so easy for me to see why these traditions were capable of dividing the two ethnic groups, it was much more difficult for me to understand why the author said it was able to solve the problems. From history, we have seen how cultural traditions have been a centrifugal force that has divided these groups. Traditions such as food styles, musical pieces, wedding celebrations and such were all spoken of throughout the texts as issues that the people designing the project had to overcome.

All that being said, the question still remained in my mind as to what could possibly be a tradition that brings people together in a situation such as Jerusalem. I first thought of it being as simple as a common goal for peace in the region. But as the writers of the article have stated, one cannot look at a modern outlook on life without first understanding the history behind that very outlook. That being said, while a Jewish person may want peace, they may also feel the need for security from what they see as a threat of violence from the Palestinians. On the contrary, a Palestinian may desire justice for the deeds done by the Jewish settlers more than they desire peace.

So now looking back at the statement of two truths, I realize that something has to be done in order for these two people groups to allow themselves to come together through their respective traditions. In the same way as the ladies putting together the festival did, I have struggled to come to understand how that issue can be solved. So while the above statement has two truths included in it, under the present circumstances there is only one reality. Until people allow themselves to respect the others traditions, they will only be capable of dividing them.

Initial Thoughts

It seems like forever ago that I was in Jerusalem and writing in a similar fashion. In reality, it was only 4 short years ago but much has changed! That first trip to the Middle East not only provided me with a more broad understanding of the world but it forever changed the course of my life. Since my return, I have become proficient in the languages of the region, more understanding of the Middle East's political economy, have gained a much wider appreciation to the people of the region, and most importantly, a desire to return! I look forward to continuing where that trip left off, and to continue to grow in all of these ways and more.

The direction my life has taken due to Jerusalem so far, is a far cry of where I would have expected it to be now. I am triple majoring in Economics, Middle Eastern Studies, and Islamic Studies. All of these come together to be a part of my goal to be in Islamic Finance. That may seem strange to hear from a small town Iowa male who was raised as a Reformed Christian, but I see the purpose of my life as to be a servant to the people of the Middle East.

That is what makes this so exciting for me! I can think of no better place in the world where people need to come together and to serve one another. There are so many stereotypes and misunderstandings that only seem to hamper the process of moving that region of the world forward. I hope to be a part of dispelling that and to bring people together to serve one another. I am so excited for the opportunity to take part in the Living Jerusalem and to interact with people all around the world who desire this as well!