60th Anniversary of the Creation of Isreal

Here, in the Arab world, they call it "Al Nakba", the catastrophe. The formation of Israel as a Jewish state continues to reverberate through this area of the world and influence the decisions that affect people everywhere. I say this without hyperbole. The Arab view of what happened during the formation of Isreal reverberates today in how countries treat one another.

People of my generation - of my parent's generation - weren't alive or old enough to recall the events that lead to where we are today. Most don't understand the context or even try to understand the decisions that were made and the options that were avaialbable. From a purely historical point of view (without regard to political or religious beliefs), the formation of Israel is a great example of Westerners drafting agreements without understanding the regional context. I'm not saying the formation of Israel was a mistake, but the WAY in which it was created, the land that now forms Israel, the lack of international administration in shared holy areas (like Jerusalem) - these all contribute to the inequity felt by Arabs about what happened. And subsequently, the addition of new lands to Israel through wars and fighting continue to add to the injustice felt in this region. It could have been accomplished in so many other ways - and possibly left us in a completely different place than we are today.

Over a million Palestinians were displaced during the formation of Israel. They fled as refugees to countries throughout this region. To this day, many remain without a country or without citizenship. After 4 generations, many have given up hope and they have immigrated to other countries, given up their Palestinian "citizenship", and are integrated into the cultures of countries around the world. But many haven't given up hope, or are in countries (like the UAE) who do not offer them the opportunity for citizenship. So, they remain in limbo. They have no citizenship to any country - they carry Palestinian identity papers and have no passport.

At one time the Arab countries were very generous to the Palestinian refugees. But even in this region there is a sense of fatigue about the situation. There are fewer and fewer opportunities for Palestinians to apply for citizenship in Arab countries. The benefits and support they once received are being reduced or eliminated. Ironically, they are now turning to countries in the West where they are more easily able to apply for citizenship and integration into society.

In the US, we view these things as history, something that happened 60 years ago. "What's done is done," seems to be the opinion of many - if they even have an opinion. "Why can't 'they' (meaning both Jews and Arabs) just accept that and then move on?" It's difficult to generate any emotion in the US about a situation that is so far away. But here, it's not history - it's today's reality. The emotions are real and are felt today - especially on this 60th anniversary. It's too close to ignore. The historical sense of injustice continues to be felt. The wounds have never healed.

It's a tragedy that we are where we are. Who can say what the solution is? Not even the "experts" seem to know. The only way we can move forward is to really try and understand the past, understand the emotions, and demonstrate our commitment to justice.

For an arab perspective:
http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10213011.html