When I put together this evening’s
seder, I tried to experiment a little with the repetitive tale of Moses, the
Red Sea, and Pharaoh. Throughout the night, I placed anecdotal poems that
exemplify the Passover themes of freedom and redemption. These poems, however,
share a common author with a unique heritage. Mahmoud Darwish, who many
consider to be Palestine’s national poet, wrote “Come From There”, “On Man”,
and “The Dice Player”, but Darwish’s words, which speak to the plight of Moses,
Miriam and Aaron in ancient Egypt, actually reflect the current-day struggle
between the Palestinians and their Israelis occupiers. Interestingly enough, I
expected to find plenty of poetry like that of Darwish, involving individual
rights and the character of a nation. When I initially searched for Palestinian
poetry about freedom though, I found much of it disappointedly militant. Darwish
was one of few poets whose attitude toward Israel was not a frontal attack on
the Jewish state. When asked about it, he said “I am not a lover of Israel, of
course. I have no reason to be. But I don't hate Jews”, and for my purposes,
that level of tolerance sufficed. Searching so extensively as to research
former head of the Israeli state, Yassir Arafat, I found that even he, the man
who worked with Bill Clinton and Yitzack Rabin in the Middle East’s most
profound steps toward peace and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, spoke
distastefully about the Jewish state. Very distraught, I found my seder in
ruins, with so few poems that spoke about peace between these two blessed
nations who desire the same piece of land that is the size to New Jersey.
The
Internet is by no means the definitive voice of the Palestinian people. To
characterize an entire nation based on a few hurtful quotations would be
shameful and unjust. In fact, a visit to
the Human Rights Campaign’s page on the Israeli Occupation paints the same
cruel picture, maybe even worse when those words reflect action and the
ransacking of homes, the deaths of innocent civilians. The reality I endured in
my grand experiment was that neither side in this conflict was completely
justified. No one in this story of exile or self-determination was Pharaoh, and
no one was Moses. Palestinians have used force against the Israelis, and the
Israelis have taken advantage of their better public image and relations with
the West to maintain an unfair occupation of a separate sovereign state.
Ironically, both groups are so entrenched in their own beliefs that they fail
to comprehend that they vie for the same result. Darwish’s words represent the
larger goal of these two peoples juxtaposed in a tight-knit but volatile
neighborhood, the right of religious and national expression, the blessing of
freedom.
With this dynamic in mind, a
two-state solution, regardless of the minute details, makes the most realistic
sense within the context of the conflict itself. Separating these nations would
finally bring an end to the Jim Crow system by which Israel has
paternalistically ruled Palestine for sixty-six years. Meanwhile, the Jews
would retain their safe haven while maintaining a majority that allows for self-rule.
Additionally, when a friend and I discussed Israel’s right to exist, he quickly
dismissed the question. Brilliantly, he told me that Israel has a right to
exist because it does exist. Whether
one agrees with its reasoning for being a country or not, the institutions and
generations of people who have lived and prospered there since 1948 are not
merely a cluster of religious pilgrims anymore; it means something to be an Israeli. Destroying Israel is akin to
dissolving France, Japan, or Australia. One could remove its flag and parliament,
but the people and nation would remain in tact. Still, this argument pertains
to the West Bank and Gaza. Palestine maintains the right to exist because it did at one time. Before the war in 1948,
Palestine lived under the British mandate. Creating two states would lead to
two autonomous governments, both of which, logistically rather than
ideologically have a right to exist. With a two state solution, all peoples,
Israeli and Palestinian would rule their respective nations, and once more the
people of the Middle East could unite to altogether enjoy a nice smorgasbord of
hummus and pita.
On the contrary, like Moses, this story
of mutual freedom is flawed. Within the context of the conflict, a two-state
solution appears to be most efficacious way to please the majority on each
side. Except there is a wall. Essentially, Israeli and Palestinians have
agreed, with the whole world watching, that the only way to solve a 21st
century conflict is to erect a 14th century-style wall. For all the
solution’s great intentions, it also means that the only way that the world has
decided these peoples can coexist is by not doing exactly that. We have
concluded that the sole way to make peace between these people, apparently so
narrow-minded and opposite of one another, is to divide them. Darwish’s words, though, and the story of
Passover do not prove this assumption to be true. I find the same hope buried
within “I learnt all the words and broke them up/To make a single
word: Homeland” as I see within “May all the Jewish people reunite in freedom
next year in Jerusalem. Next year in Jerusalem rebuilt.” To settle this peace process
through such brutal separation and to leave it with such a legacy of hate
renders it incomplete. Children will grow into old age without ever knowing
someone from the “other” side. Perhaps, most startlingly these children’s
entire perception of the “other” will be based on stereotypes, and although
these nations could live in peace, the overarching goal of tolerance would
dissipate. The two-state solution, for all of its perks, fails to function on
its own as a comprehensive foundation for peace in the 21st century.
So
what is an American Jew supposed to do? K’vell about it all? Returning back to
the Passover story, it is important to notice the grand Israeli irony. As we
sit around the seder table, here and in Israel, we continue to stand by as we
suppress another people. If anyone should empathize with the plight of the
Palestinians, it should be the people who were once slaves in Pharaoh’s Egypt. We
need to acknowledge that neither side in this conflict is perfect. As flawed as
the two-state solution may be, within the context of the issue itself, it is
the most viable, temporary solution. Seeing its flaws, however, can lead to
improvements in its implementation. To first achieve, the two-state solution
would be a victory for the coalition for peace, but then, that same group must
acknowledge the imperfections in this plan. We must educate each side, and
treat them as the “equal” not the “other”, and we must advocate not for strict
social and political integration but cultural tolerance. In the spirit of the
Passover story, in the spirit of God, and for the goodness of humanity, both
the Palestinians and the Israelis deserve autonomy and the freedom to rule a
sovereign, democratic state, but by separating them, peace is as hidden to us as
the afikoman to the seder children.
Links to Darwish's Poems:
"I Come From There" - http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-come-from-there/
"On Man"- http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-man/
"Dice Player"-http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/mahmoud-darwish/the-dice-player-2/
