http://heartoftheother.com/gassed Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:00:48 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://heartoftheother.com/gassed/comment-page-1#comment-4 AB Tue, 05 May 2009 15:10:08 +0000 http://heartoftheother.com/?p=72#comment-4 The idea of a Palestinian protest in which Palestinians hold up pictures rather than throw stones and make political statements rather than inflict mortal wounds targeted against civilian women children and men, is encouraging. On the other hand, the claim that it is impossible to understand how Israelis who are conscience of the holocaust could build a separation barrier requires a shallow understanding of the Holocaust and Israeli Palestinian relations. I don't know who claims to be the great arbiter of the lessons gleaned from the Holocaust. But it's clear that while some people might have learned empathy, others learned that as Jews, we have to protect ourselves. And while the separation barrier is ugly, awful, perhaps even infringing on certain rights, it ultimately saves lives. It is clear that the bombings from Palestinian terrorists have decreased to almost nothing since the barrier's construction, and conversely, has decreased Israel's response to these attacks. So the barrier saves Israeli lives directly, and in a strange way, saves Palestinian lives as well. Perhaps through a deep understanding of both sides of this issue, we will be able to break down the walls and build bridges instead. Until then, the barrier stands as a lesser evil. The idea of a Palestinian protest in which Palestinians hold up pictures rather than throw stones and make political statements rather than inflict mortal wounds targeted against civilian women children and men, is encouraging. On the other hand, the claim that it is impossible to understand how Israelis who are conscience of the holocaust could build a separation barrier requires a shallow understanding of the Holocaust and Israeli Palestinian relations. I don’t know who claims to be the great arbiter of the lessons gleaned from the Holocaust. But it’s clear that while some people might have learned empathy, others learned that as Jews, we have to protect ourselves. And while the separation barrier is ugly, awful, perhaps even infringing on certain rights, it ultimately saves lives. It is clear that the bombings from Palestinian terrorists have decreased to almost nothing since the barrier’s construction, and conversely, has decreased Israel’s response to these attacks. So the barrier saves Israeli lives directly, and in a strange way, saves Palestinian lives as well. Perhaps through a deep understanding of both sides of this issue, we will be able to break down the walls and build bridges instead. Until then, the barrier stands as a lesser evil.

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