Ben Gal, an Israeli man, was stabbed to death near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. The suspect was identified as a Palestinian man. Israeli police call this a terrorist attack, but the militant group Hamas, which is often itself designated a terrorist group, referred to the attack as a "continuation of the resistance" to the US's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. However, previous articles on this blog reveal that most countries don't share this belief, and even the UN has deemed President Trump's declaration on the Israeli capital "null and void."
Discussion Questions:
- After seeing the movie Promises, can you make an argument for why violence like this exists in this region?
- What is your opinion on the growing number of Israeli settlements in Palestine-occupied territory, like the West Bank? How could this affect possible negotiations for a two-state solution?
- What, if anything, should be done with existing Jewish settlements?
After watching Promises, I believe there are many factors as to why violence in this region exists. However, I believe the primary reason is because of the fighting that has been occurring for generations. Due to this, children on both sides of Israel and Palestine are taught to hate the other group. Like in the movie, one of the characters told us how his brother was killed by an Israeli soldier. Experiences like this are what cause the tension between both sides. I believe that the problem goes further than just control of the region, it is the way children are taught and the bias each side creates for themselves. Once again in the movie, when boys from both sides met, they enjoyed each other’s company. I think that the issue going on in the region right now goes deeper than just control of territory and is more due to the tramatic experiences and ideas that both sides hear about each other.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your input, Neal. You make a very valid point. To add on to your response, I think that Palestinian and Israeli children have the greatest potential for solving the region's conflicts, especially open-minded people like Sanabel and Daniel and Yarko.
DeleteAfter seeing the move Promise, I understand the argument and violence that exists between the regions. This movie portrays the conflict between Israeli and Palestinian and the perspective of the children living in these places. Even though these children live no more than 20 minutes apart, they live in completely different worlds, having different aspects and beliefs in their lives. Due to many many years of violence, these regions have split up living in their own worlds. Each side has a different story creating complicated problems for them. The children were taught to believe certain events causing different obstacles for the opposing region. the hate between Israeli Jews and Palestinians are uncontrollable. Both sides have their own justifications for their beliefs. An example would be Moishe who is Jewish and had a friend who was killed by a Palestinian terrorist. This led him to have strong negative emotions for all the Palestinians due the their responsibility for his friend's death. However, later on in the movie the children all agreed to meet up and discuss about their separate worlds and they realize they share a lot of the same interests. Therefore, communication between the two sides are weak because of the past issues they had with each other and the fear of what might happen next. Due to this, I comprehend the confusion and fear each side holds against each other.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the violence from both sides originate from the different beliefs of each side. Having totally contrasting views on who should have which lands have led to many deaths on both sides. I think that the growing number of Israeli settlements in Palestine-occupied territory, like the West Bank, should be regulated, because moving into someone else's territory is not right. I feel that a solution to this whole mess would be teaching children when they are young to not hate each other and to educate them without dragging religion into their teachings. Without the interference of religious beliefs, children will be much more likely to focus on their education for their future instead of hatred for the other side. However, this proves to be very difficult since even their childhood is corrupted by the news of terrorist bombings/killings from both sides, deaths of family and friends (even children), and simply the arguments stemming from hundreds of years ago still run in their blood, especially the parents, who will then go on to tell their children of the atrocities of the other side.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the movie Promises, I believe that their different beliefs of religion, and the many disputes between the two nations about Jerusalem are the real reasons why there is so much violence in the Middle East. Both sides believe that they should be the only nation to claim Jerusalem as one of their cities. Since many of children deal with the tensions between the Palestinians and Israelis, they are taught that the other side is the enemy, and that they should be killed off. Their actions for their rights ends up with many deaths and injuries among both countries. When an Israeli and Palestinian meet, they only think of the destruction that has happened due to the fighting. They become reckless and angry at the other, and it is probably why there has been so many casualties. For the Jews, I think it is unsafe for them to be settling in the Palestinian occupied-territory because the arguments between the two nations is dangerous, it could cause some serious tension. The Jews would be taking more land from the Palestinians, and it could cause more riots and fights then there are now with the city of Jerusalem. The Jews should stay in their settlements according to their border, and they should stop themselves from gaining more land. The Palestinians are a smaller nation, and they shouldn't be forced to become smaller due to the incoming Jewish settlements. With the two-state solution, it would create a peace for both the Israelis and Palestinians.
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ReplyDeleteThe Israeli Palestinian crisis has been ongoing. Yet, before peace is obtained, violence must be eliminated. This crisis can be attempted through both a long term and short term solution. The short term goal must be that international members absolutely cannot continue to support for either Palestinians or the Jewish, perhaps through a series of press releases. This will allow a temporary period of lessening tensions, and will also allow time for peace talks, which the UN should initiate. The long term goal, then, (in perhaps the next two decades) would be diplomatic relations forming between the Palestinian state and Israel. This will require the participation of the UN, in which they reserve the right to move UN peacekeepers with permission. In order to figure out the next steps, that will depend on how Israel and the Palestinian state react to these peace accords.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the movie Promises, I believe that violence like this exists in the region because of the differing beliefs between Jews and Arabs. Because of the overlapping opinions between the two religions, conflicts occur because of a person's strong sense of pride in their beliefs. Because of this, people act violently out of anger and frustration. Both groups feel that the other is wrong, and many people are not willing to reason with one another in order to create a solution.
ReplyDeleteThe growing Jewish settlements in the West Bank justifiably anger the Palestinians, as they're refugees in what used to their own land, and now have to live under the occupation of the Jewish. There is also extreme tension between the two groups, which makes their relations even more strained by the Jewish settling in what little land the Palestinians have left. This complicates negotiations, as Jewish settlers now don't want to leave what they believe is their land, but Palestinians now want Jewish settlers to leave what they believe is their land. Borders will be extremely hard to define, and they will have to somehow negotiate how to incorporate the Jewish settlers into the new set of borders. Both sides are extremely angered at the other, and both sides want control, and have wanted this for hundreds of years. The negotiations will not be smooth or easy regardless of these Jewish settlers, but it will surely make the border dispute even more convoluted.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the movie Promises, I think that there is still a division between Jews and Arabs because of the way they have been brought up. The conflict, in the beginning, was mainly about control over land that was important and religious to both Arabs and Jews. Because of that conflict, a lot of anger and tension rose between the two. Children were then taught that the other side is the enemy. Because of this a biased opinion was created about the other side and no one really knows what their "opposite" was like because of this wall that people have created between them. I think that the children can really help solve the disputes because of their acceptance to their opposite. In the movie, when children from both sides agreed to meet each other, they actually liked spending time together and they had fun, so I think that if both sides got rid of the border and actually got to know each other then they would maybe actually like each other and learn to live peacefully.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I believe that Israel is preventing the day where peace will be achieved by allowing their citizens to further establish settlements in the Palestinian occupied areas. Neither side really wants to give up the land that they have, but they do want to reach an eventual settlement, Palestine more than Israel because they do not even have a country to themselves. Because both sides do not want to give land, the Israeli settlements are points of dispute as if the two ethnic groups are separated, the Israelis will support their own settlements and claim that the land is theirs even though it presides in Palestinian territory, like the West Bank. This will only cause further arguments as the Palestinians will argue that the Israeli settlements are not supposed to be there. It is because of neither side wanting to forfeit land and the Israeli encroachment that peace settlements are getting more and more complicated which pushes a peace agreement farther and farther away.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing Promises, I think there is tension between Jews and Arabs because both groups were brought up thinking that Israel is their land. Also, the children were influenced by there environment to dislike the other side. Jews and Arabs hate each other, so they also push it onto their children to hate each other too. Also, Jews have killed Arabs and Arabs have killed Jews, so both sides blame the other for killing their family members. This creates more anger and causes the Arabs and Jews to be even more violent towards each other and continue to kill each other. Then they continue to blame the other side and it is an endless cycle. The Jewish settlements in the West Bank are creating more problems, and are preventing peace between the Arabs and Jews. I believe they should stop establishing settlements, so they can achieve peace some day.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the movies Promises, it is easy to see how the division occurs. Prejudice is not natural; it has to be learned, usually from others. Generations after generations pass down their opinions and raise their children to think the same way they do. The ongoing violence also adds to their beliefs, such as a friend being murdered by someone of the opposing side. It is the children that have the most potential to solve this conflict, not the aged politicians that have adamant views and are stuck in their old ways. In addition, I personally don't support the growing Israeli settlements in Palestine-occupied territory, as it seems to be pushing away from the two-state solution that I support. Rather than separating the two, it seems to give Israelis leeway and almost take over Palestinians. A one-state solution is not something I view as viable; according to Mr. Felder, most citizens prefer the two-state solution and there would be a lot of fighting for political control along with various barriers (e.g. religious, social, cultural).
ReplyDeletePromises showed us how young generations learn from the older generations. Harsh views and aggressive action come with it. Many of them hurt others in vengeance. One of the boys in Promises explained how their friend (or brother, I forgot) was killed and he genuinely wants to hurt them back. Since they have different beliefs, they won't get along. Incidents like this stabbing is just an example.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the film, Promises, it shows us how the children at a young age were almost "conditioned" to believe certain things. Each and every child has generations full of opinions and they were told to believe certain ideas. Because of their different beliefs, it could lead to different actions. For example the boy who's friend got killed right in front of him, wanted to kill the people who harmed his friend. This will definitely tense up tensions but incident that happened is just another view towards each other.
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