My views on the Israel/Palestinian conflict are quite complex and not too firm. I legitimately think I see and can take both sides...
On the one hand, I see Israel as a legitimate Country with a real right to defend itself. I see much of the supposed 'apartheid' and oppression as a necessary result of years of terrorism, and something that has, at least in the short-term, kept Israel relatively safe.
On the other side, if this was any other situation, I could, with my relatively liberal beliefs, never support a culture and Country that allows for "Jew-only" roads; "Arab-only" checkpoints, and a wall that completely destroys the Palestinian economy and cuts some Palestinians off from their land and families with little or no reparation.
But, having said that, I do think that these measures have kept Israel safe, and are at least partially as a direct result of terrorism. If there was no terrorism, would these measures be, to Israel, necessary? Would they even exist today?
I grew up as an (relatively) orthodox Jew in Baltimore, Maryland. I went to a Jewish day school, where extreme Zionism was the only option. "The David Project" was the norm, and all actions done by Israel, whether bone-headed and evil or seemingly legitimate, were ALWAYS justified. If the conflict was actually that simple, there would be no controversy.
Bomb kills 20 beach-goers? They shouldn't have been there in the first place!
Mother dies giving birth at a checkpoint after waiting four hours? Well, if those damn Palestinians hadn't brought bombs on ambulances, this wouldn't have happened! (an excuse that, thinking about it, does have a degree of legitimacy, perhaps.)
On this site, I think I generally take a view on the I/P conflict that is a bit more right-wing than my actual feelings, as the devil's advocate in me comes out. I take the other side on the countless facebook debates that go on pretty constantly, and amongst my Jewish friends at College and around the area.
Anyway, my younger brother Josh, in the past few years, was never too divided on his feelings on this issue like me. I went on an Israeli volunteering program for a year after high school... and while he wanted to take some time off before Hampshire college... that wouldn't quite cut it for him.
So Josh and his friend Michael decided to do something a bit more... unique. They are currently volunteering in a refugee camp outside Bethlehem, getting an experience of both sides (they have many friends in Israel proper) first-hand. Their experiences and their blog really have opened my eyes to some things that many overlook regarding the situation, and I think many here will appreciate it.
They were on a Jewish radio station (Shalom USA) about a week or so ago (sorry, I can't find the exact link), and in the past few days were written up by a blogger who was just in the area on the Mondo Weiss blog (link, last couple paragraphs)
Let me know what you guys think!