The Human Side of The Israeli Conflict
By: Stacy Coleman
Outside of the horrible attack on Pearl Harbor, and those that happened on September 11, 2001, we as Americans do not know what a war at home, feels like. As Americans, we take the safety we feel on a daily basis for granted. In the Israeli/Palestinian case, they do not have the luxury of doing what most Americans do, and think or say things like: “That’s over there….” then let it go at that. We must also keep in mind, that this conflict was not engaged by our longest ally Israel they are just defending themselves from harm. According to an article from Ole Glory News, the first blows were struck by Palestinian forces. The full article can be read by clicking here.
According to an article written by, Caitlin Nicholas from Ole Glory News:
“Jerusalem police have raised the terror security alert to Level 3, only one level below the highest alert, which is Level 4, after intelligence reports of possible terror attacks. Palestinian rockets have continued to pour down on the southern Israeli towns of Sderot, Ashkelon and Beer Sheba, after the terrorist attacks that killed 8 Israelis only a few days ago.”
The full article can be read by clicking here.
As these cities are being attacked we need to keep in mind that the Israel dome defense system can only take so much damage before it gives way. This means that everyone who has benefited from shelter by this dome would be defenseless, like everyone else that could not get there. When we look at this, we must start to see this as a human struggle for survival.
I ask you, to take a few moments to allow yourselves to think outside of your normal comfort zone and to consider what it has been like through the years for the Israeli people, even allowing yourself to go so far as to consider being among them in daily life drudgery and struggle. Do the aforementioned, while recognizing that the US has until now, always viewed Israel our staunchest ally in the entire Middle East. The people have not changed their minds, but the administration has another course. This has to be a struggle for preservation of life. These people are real people, not simply another story to read and ignore, or to view via mainstream on TV, just disregarding the negative impact, that the constant barrage of attacks brings on a people.
These are Mothers and Fathers who look at their children not knowing if they will be there tomorrow. There are also the elderly in the area, that may have health issues due to the wearing of age. How they are being effected by the stress of all this constant commotion? Let us keep the human perspective going, and let’s consider the loss of childhood innocence all too soon, to the carrying out of missile attacks against their homeland and death in their streets. Indeed, innocence will be lost forever in this, as these children will be forever changed, carrying all of their emotional scars into adulthood. We here, in America, are afforded the luxury of being able to go to bed feeling safe and secure, letting us each have a peaceful night’s sleep.
EXPERIMENT:
Imagine, for a minute, waking to an explosion of a mortar blast, or imagine the sounds of rockets being launched from right outside your front door. Eventually, it would be accepted as commonplace, and a numbing effect would replace the initial shock.
Let us also look at this on the side of how this must affect you mentally to endure this new hardship. Right after hearing an explosion, you look around, and you see nothing in your immediate surroundings damaged leading you to be thankful it was not you. After that, then you quickly start to worry. Was it a member of your family, your friends, or someone you may care about?
I have really been paying close attention as to how wars and conflicts are portrayed in the media, the press and online from varying news sources. I have as yet to find those that cover war and conflict stories with a human perspective, so therefore, I felt led to do so. I want to be the voice of the voiceless, and since no one else will, I thought I should share my thoughts. These people, in Israel, deserve the right to live peaceably, and they also deserve the basic human rights to defend themselves from any acts of violence or aggression. With this being said, the next time you hear something about the fighting going on over there or anywhere, for that matter, please keep in mind, the human element.
Tags: Caitlin Nicholas, Conflict, Human, Israel, Ole Glory News, Palestine, Perspective, Stacy Coleman
