Looking at the Layers

There has been a shift.

I’ve stopped looking at the more right wing elements of the group I’m in and am peering through the layers around me. I was unfortunate to have found myself in a room full of people of one frame of mind on my second night here (the talk on Gaza); because it led me to believe that I was alone among a homogenous group, when this is not the case. There are always a myriad of opinions out there, even if they are not so obvious at first. I am fast realising that Israelis are as divided as Palestinians on the political issues, as are the Jews of the Diaspora.

I have spoken with people who refuse to refer to the West Bank as anything other than Judea and Samaria, but I have also spoken with people who have expressed a desire to see and experience the West Bank, though usually this desire is restricted to Bethlehem, as that is generally considered the easiest and safest option. While a desire to see the West Bank does not necessarily mean that the people expressing this desire oppose the occupation or the actions of the Israeli government in the Palestinian Territories, it does demonstrate a willingness to see the other side, and this gives me some hope.