Late Monday night July 28, 2014

I solemnly write tonight after a day of contemplation over the Israeli and Palestinian war; what else can you call it?   Innocent lives are lost, on both sides, many of which are children.  This is nothing new, civilians die in wars.

I have read the tweets from those living in Gaza this evening, while bombs were dropping around them.   I tweeted one 16-year-old girl wondering, as she stated, if she would live through the evening.   Now I certainly have no way of knowing if she was in the middle of the bombings, but I have no reason not to believe her; it’s certainly possible.  I am also quite aware that people, any people can use social media for sympathy and twist the truth of what is happening.   I also read tweets of Israeli’s, while they wanted it to end, their tone was not as heavy, possibly because they weren’t being hammered like Gaza.   Here is what I do know, if Hamas continues to  fires missiles at Israel, Gaza is going to continue to get hammered by the Israeli’s.

I have been doing a lot of research, trying to get a better understanding why Israel and the Palestinians remain enemies, so content it seems to destroy the other.   It is no secret they hate one another.   That may be a greater understatement than anything Obama has shared during his presidency, particularly the 2nd term.

I am not a university professor, I truthfully only knew the basics about the Israel vs. Palestinian history.   I have learned a lot in a short period.    I can not tell you all the references I have hit for information.  I selected resources I felt would be most unbiased with accurate facts.   I did not seek authors giving their opinion.

What I have learned is the Jews returned to the region they currently occupy beginning in 1917 with the heaviest flow around 1947.   The Arabs became more interested in settling in only after the Jewish people improved the agriculture and further developed the territory.    That’s when things went bad, but then the history between the two has always been bad.

There is much history, the U.N. dividing the land basically because the two people’s or I should say religions could not live together as one.  Then the Six Day War…….. and today’s war, along with everything in between.   It’s not as simple as that, but I am not the one to give a history lesson here.  Here is an opinion, why there will always be war between Israeli’s and Palestinians.

Palestinian’s, Hamas have made it clear over what seems to be generations and lifetimes they will not be content until all the Jews are dead.  The hate runs too deep for too long for attitudes to change. The children are taught to hate Jews.   I believe Israel initiates military offenses because they understand this, they are defending their future.

It is difficult seeing children hurt and killed because of the actions of their elders on both sides.   I believe this is more about religion than it is occupation of land.  If there was not an ocean between us, the U.S. would be right in the middle with Israel.   We are the Great Satan to the Muslim world……we will continue to be targets as well.

Attitudes that have been present since what seems the beginning of time, will never change.  That is a sad thought, history repeats itself.  I am searching for more understanding.