Tara Stroll wrote an interesting column for Monday’s paper (“Let’s keep Israel on the map,” page 5, Oct. 31). In the column, she focuses on the Palestinian desire to occupy the whole of Israel/Palestine. While she is right to criticize this Palestinian belief, I believe she overlooks the plight of the Palestinian people as she seems to oppose a possible two-state solution. If we are to ever settle this conflict, we must understand the mindsets of individuals on both sides of the conflict.
While Stroll might be well-intentioned in her desire for a Jewish state, I think she falls into the hole of not being able to empathize with the Palestinian situation. She criticizes the Palestinian people for wanting to wipe Israel off the map, but she doesn’t realize that her thought process is similar to those of the Palestinians she criticizes (i.e. she wants to wipe Palestine off the map).
Individuals on both sides of the conflict tend to dichotomize the situation into a black vs. white, good vs. evil situation. The world is not that simple; the world is an extremely complex place. Both nations believe they have a right to that relatively small piece of soil, and both nations reside on or near that small piece of soil. Therefore, if we try to work out a solution that discredits either side, we are regressing. If we are to ever solve this conflict we must look deeper into it. We must try to discern as many shades of grey as is humanly possible.
Seth Lubin UNI ’07
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