New Lessons in Land of Ancient Struggles
By Gabrielle Giffords
Arizona Daily Star Op-Ed
It is a land of contradiction, of complexity and simplicity. Its mountains and deserts were the backdrop for the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Quran.
Now, it is a land in which Orthodox Jews wearing clothing that was fashionable 300 years ago pose for digital pictures taken by tourists wearing the most modern fashions.
And it is a place that offers the most ancient historical accounts, along with the most modern of lessons.
I was honored, last December, to sample the complexities of the Middle East as a member of a U.S. delegation invited to tour Israel through the American Jewish Committee’s Project Interchange.
The experience demonstrated the importance of state and local U.S. officials in understanding the complex issues facing Israel and the Middle East peace process.
It was clear that this so-called “peace process” has shattered into fragments of bitterness and mistrust.
It is painful to see this deterioration in a land that is considered holy by the world’s three greatest religions. One can only wonder what might have happened back in 1947 if Israelis and Arabs had only accepted some form of the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan.
Many members of our group contemplated the impact of the inexorable integration of nations that has sprung from the soul of globalism, with its world markets and constantly evolving technologies.
Has the shrinking world of the Internet, cellphones and other digital technologies helped or hindered the search for peace in this cradle of civilization?
It’s hard to escape the irony of free-market capitalism found amid tourist shops selling T-shirts, biblical trinkets and other souvenirs to tourists whose digital video cameras record scenes of Hassidic Jews praying at the Wailing Wall, Arabs answering daily calls to prayer and a modern Israeli army facing masked Palestinian boys armed with stones and the occasional Soviet-era rifle.
While meeting with local and national Israeli elected officials, we were struck by the similar tribulations we all faced as we planned the future of our respective communities.
How can we facilitate high-paying jobs without destroying our uniquely indigenous cultures? What innovative practice can improve water conservation?
How can our communities curb crime and drugs, especially among our youth? Inevitably, however, the conversations always turned to the violence.
Americans, unlike Israelis, operate under the presupposition that our mass transportation is safe and our water supply is clean.
We think it is the birthright of our children to feel safe to play in public places, and our greatest concern when we visit a nightclub is an unwanted advance, not a suicide bomber.
The normal hopes, fears and activities in our homes and neighborhoods are very different from those we experienced in Israel. They were different, at any rate, until Sept. 11.
We left Tel Aviv better informed about the difficulties that lay ahead in the Middle East and better equipped to grapple with the town halls, legislative sessions and budgetary struggles we face at home.
What did we learn? We confronted the reality that no one can prosper without peace and security. That requires mutual trust, which is sadly lacking in the Middle East.
As an elected official, I find myself wondering whether a genuine U.S. involvement in the area can make a difference.
Highly respected columnists, such as Thomas L. Friedman, have suggested that U.N. peacekeeping forces might bring stability to the region.
While such involvement will be costly and risky, it would also be courageous.
It could be time for this nation to step up and put some pressure on Israelis and Palestinians to take meaningful steps toward trust, cooperation and maybe even peace.
* Gabrielle Giffords is a member of the Arizona House of Representatives
