15 Mar '11 16:30>1 edit
Originally posted by FMFPeople, and I'm guilty of this too from time to time, tend to de-humanize the other side in conflicts. I firmly believe that people on both sides fundamentally want peace. Why would anyone on either side want perpetual conflict rather than peace? It makes no sense to me.
Sounds to me like Seitse and Sleepyguy have given up on it while you haven't yet. Do you think the Seitses and Sleepyguys of this world make peace some day less possible or more possible?
Religious radicalism and propaganda by those whom conflict benefits weighs against this desire. I think more of this exists on the Palestinian side, though of course, some exists on the Israeli side as well. Sooner or later though, the people can break through this barrier and demand peace.
Giving up hope on peace makes no sense. If you locked the median Israeli and the median Palestinian in a room for 24 hours, I'll bet they could make a deal that would be palatable to the majority of people on both sides. It's not easy to break through the rhetoric but it can be done.
I'll share another quick story regarding my recent trip to Israel in this vein. I've been reluctant to go into it for various reasons, but it is absolutely a true story.
I was traveling with an older male family member; we'll leave it at that (not my father, BTW). Early Thursday morning (maybe about 6:00) we took a cab to the "kotel" (western wall) to see (and participate in) the early morning prayer services there. The cab ride cost about 26 shekels (under $10) and there was no traffic at that hour.
By the time we were ready to go back to the hotel, it was about 7:30, which of course is during morning rush hour. We got into a random cab on line waiting for fares near the kotel. The driver was clearly an Arab man, though of course it's impossible to tell if he was Israeli Arab or Palestinian.
My older relative asked how much to the hotel and he said "40 shekels." My relative stormed and fumed and threatened to leave the taxi (you can negotiate taxi fares in Jerusalem) because he wanted so much more than the ride on the way over. I tried to calm him down by saying there's more traffic now and the driver said the same, but he angrily negotiated him down to 30 or 35 (I forget). I was a little embarrassed as I slunk lower in the back seat.
During the ride, my relative tried to strike up a conversation with the cab driver, but the cab driver said, in the halting English that all Jerusalem cab drivers can speak, that he was too upset to talk. I suppose he could have been acting, but it seems to me that he was being genuine.
When we got to the hotel, I said "I'll pay" to my relative. He said "Okay; but give him 30" as he got out of the car. When he was out of the car, I slipped the guy a 50 shekel bill, held up my hand to indicate no change was needed, and looked him in the eye and said "Thank you and I apologize for all of that," motioning out of the car with my head. The driver gave me what was absolutely a sincere soft, surprised and thankful look and said "Thank you and have a nice day." And he meant it.
Now, I have no idea what this person's political views are. For all I know, he wants me dead. But for that one moment, he saw me as another human being and I saw him as the same. It wasn't the extra 5 or 6 bucks. That's chump change, even in Jerusalem. It was the fact that I went out of my way to show some sympathy for him and he showed me sincere appreciation for the gesture.
I don't know that guy from Adam, but if he and I sat down to iron out a deal, I'll bet dollars to donuts that we could come up with something palatable to the majority of both sides.
Each side needs to see the humanity in the people in the other side. Giving out candy to celebrate the slaughter of babies doesn't do that; and nor does subjecting people to needless humiliating security measures. But there is absolutely no reason that both sides cannot come to respect the humanity in the other.
Hence, I refuse to give up hope for peace.
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