Discourses, or how we describe each other

So much of how we see and treat each other is determined by how we describe each other. For example, I have been asked how are those "damned Palestinians" described by my Jewish Israeli tour guides. The short answer is, not. The word Palestinian was never used. Only Arab! (Which of course means they could just go live somewhere else cause all Arabs are the same. Soem of the tour group I was with, Americans, actually said this!!!) And historically they are described badly.

Firstly, the Muslims (Arabs) closed the Golden Gate onto Temple Mount specifically to prevent the Jewish Messiah entering. They then built a cemetery in front of the Golden Gate as a second lien of prevention, as no priest (which the Messiah will be) can enter a graveyard, except their own. Well, that may well have been part of it, but I am sure that the desire to not have a large gate opening out from the
enclosure around the Mosques to outside the walls was also a big part in closing the Gates. And Muslims wanted to be buried close to the Mosques, and outside the Eastern Wall (where the Golden Gate is) is about as close as you can get. The other sides had houses.

More recently, The Arabs convinced the British to abandon the Balfour White paper, which argued for a separate Israel, and to arrest illegal Jewish immigrants (which most were) and to send back ships like the Exodus, so that those on board could die. The Arabs were also intent in 1947, 1967, and 1973 on destroying the state of Israel and pushing the Jews back into the sea. They, through the Jordanians divided
Jerusalem, built hotels on the Jewish cemetery, destroyed Synagogues, and forced the Jews out of the Jewish quarter. Egypt and Syria had similar goals in mind but were thwarted. In 1967 Egypt tried to cut Israel's oil supply, and Lebanon tried to cut the water supply, hence the 6 day war. The Arabs who used to live in the 400 odd villages that are now no longer Arab simply ran away from the advancing IDF, who would have done nothing untoward. It was their choice, and because they left, they don't keep their property. The wall is necessary because of terrorists, and is a good thing. Some, like the Druze and Bedouin, are good citizens and join the armed services, but most are not, and fight amongst themselves between Christian and Moslem. They don't finish their houses simply so that they don't have to pay taxes on them.

But that is all historical. We were shown Arab farms alongside Jewish farms as examples of the two people working together. Both our guides described Abbas as a trustworthy peacemaker. Our guide at the end, Eli thought peace had a chance because both Sharon and Abbas were older and grandparents and knew that violence was not the answer. I was surprised to hear Sharon described in that way really. Eli
pointed out that some Arabs join the IDF, and obviously looked to the day when more did. Overall there was a sense of these people are here with us, and we need to make
this work. But we still don't really trust them.

In a way the same can be said for us European Christians. The British Mandate is described as all bad at the end. The holocaust looms very large, as Europe's moment of betrayal. I heard a Jewish guide yesterday talk about how it wasn't the Romans who threw the temple stones down (as the sign said) but the Byzantine Christians, who hated Jews so much. Apart from America, which is a friend, I sensed the rest of the world is not trusted. It seemed clear from the guides, from Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum) and their own descriptions that Israel could trust only America, and had to look after it's own interests, no matter what anyone else said. But there was also a sense that the hard line attitudes of the past were beginning to thaw in the interests of peace.

The way the stories are told shapes how we see each other. So the history, both real, which is bad enough, and perceived, will take time to overcome. I guess that is what I was trying to blog about last night. The need for repentance from all involved, which, as I was trying to describe means working to undo the damage of past sins.

Enough for now!

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