So we tonight we were able to to hear from Bernard Sabella, who is a member of the Palestinian parliament. Last week we heard from Yigal Palmor from the Israeli ministry. Both men spoke on their viewpoints of the Palestinian Israeli conflict. So I decided that I would sum up for you the main points that they discussed. Both of them gave great lectures but very biased so that being said I give out a warning that these opinions are not of mine but theirs:
Palestinian viewpoint: This conflict has been going on for centuries but he said that the problems really started when Israel declared itself as an independent state all of the Palestinians where forced to move and become refugees. Bernard's parents were refugees during that time and he spoke of the oppression and horrible state that they were put into. He claims that Israelis feel no responsibility over the refugees and what has happened to them. The recent agreement between Hamas and Fata brings hope for the Palestinians. (We asked if he thought Hamas was a terrorist organization and he said that he does not support them and does not support violence. Fata used to be a terrorist group and now has changed and so can Hamas but that just because they have used violence in the past does not mean they are a terrorist group.) In 2007 these two Palestinian groups had a falling apart and were divided because of Gaza but now they have put in place a peace agreement. This is bad news for the Israeli state because before they could fight that these groups did not represent the entire Palestinian population so there was no need for an agreement. But now that they are joined forces they are ready for a peace agreement. Hamas has apparently made it clear that they want to talk with Israel but Israel is not agreeing to do so. Israel has taken over the land of hundreds of thousands of people and has separated people from their land. There are still thousands of refugees that are trying to reclaim the land that they rightfully own but the separation wall is keeping them from doing so. Dr. Sabelli said that he sees an option of resolution would be to go to the UN council this summer and ask for the UN to recognize Palestine as an independent state. He said that there are around 130 countries that support them and that they need justice and not oppression. He also thinks that if we continue to look at this as a Muslim/ Islam war that it will never be resolved but we need to see this just as a territorial issue. Justice needs to be found for both the Israelis and Palestinian and the Palestinian refugees should be compensated for their loss.
Israeli Viewpoint: Yigal Palmor is over the Israeli foreign ministry and spoke to us last week about the issue. His main point was that Israel has tried repeatedly to make a peace agreement but that the Palestinians are refusing to cooperate. He knows that they are planning on going to the UN to ask for recognition as an independent state. If they are able to obtain it, which he thinks they won't be able to the problem will still be here. By declaring them a state they will still fight over the same land and no resolution will be in place. He also mentioned that it is very frustrating trying to make any type of agreement with the Palestinians because they are not true to their words and they repeatedly break past agreements. He said that the Israeli government has made it clear that they want an agreement and that they are at the point where they are waiting for the Palestinian authorities to come and talk with them.
Well I hope that you enjoy reading both opinions and I hope I did both speakers justice. Both speakers did not seem to optimistic that there will be an agreement anytime soon but it could all change in a day.
Palestinian viewpoint: This conflict has been going on for centuries but he said that the problems really started when Israel declared itself as an independent state all of the Palestinians where forced to move and become refugees. Bernard's parents were refugees during that time and he spoke of the oppression and horrible state that they were put into. He claims that Israelis feel no responsibility over the refugees and what has happened to them. The recent agreement between Hamas and Fata brings hope for the Palestinians. (We asked if he thought Hamas was a terrorist organization and he said that he does not support them and does not support violence. Fata used to be a terrorist group and now has changed and so can Hamas but that just because they have used violence in the past does not mean they are a terrorist group.) In 2007 these two Palestinian groups had a falling apart and were divided because of Gaza but now they have put in place a peace agreement. This is bad news for the Israeli state because before they could fight that these groups did not represent the entire Palestinian population so there was no need for an agreement. But now that they are joined forces they are ready for a peace agreement. Hamas has apparently made it clear that they want to talk with Israel but Israel is not agreeing to do so. Israel has taken over the land of hundreds of thousands of people and has separated people from their land. There are still thousands of refugees that are trying to reclaim the land that they rightfully own but the separation wall is keeping them from doing so. Dr. Sabelli said that he sees an option of resolution would be to go to the UN council this summer and ask for the UN to recognize Palestine as an independent state. He said that there are around 130 countries that support them and that they need justice and not oppression. He also thinks that if we continue to look at this as a Muslim/ Islam war that it will never be resolved but we need to see this just as a territorial issue. Justice needs to be found for both the Israelis and Palestinian and the Palestinian refugees should be compensated for their loss.
Israeli Viewpoint: Yigal Palmor is over the Israeli foreign ministry and spoke to us last week about the issue. His main point was that Israel has tried repeatedly to make a peace agreement but that the Palestinians are refusing to cooperate. He knows that they are planning on going to the UN to ask for recognition as an independent state. If they are able to obtain it, which he thinks they won't be able to the problem will still be here. By declaring them a state they will still fight over the same land and no resolution will be in place. He also mentioned that it is very frustrating trying to make any type of agreement with the Palestinians because they are not true to their words and they repeatedly break past agreements. He said that the Israeli government has made it clear that they want an agreement and that they are at the point where they are waiting for the Palestinian authorities to come and talk with them.
Well I hope that you enjoy reading both opinions and I hope I did both speakers justice. Both speakers did not seem to optimistic that there will be an agreement anytime soon but it could all change in a day.
that's awesome that such a person would come talk to you. that's big time! ... and very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWow, how interesting! How I would of loved to hear both speak. This conflict has gone on for a very long time and I agree with you that it probably won't be resolved but a miracle could happen!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they will ever, ever see eye to eye and have a peace agreement. It just seems so unlikely, because they have hated eachother for so long. That is very cool that you get to hear both sides, and it is a tragedy that there is never any agreement. Good writing Katie! You are getting smarter by the day!! :)
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