3/20 reading response

While I don't really know anything about the plight of the LGBT community in Jerusalem, I imagine that living in such a religious city certainly doesn't make life any easier. One of the websites mentioned how recently a member of a gay rights march was stabbed several times by a protester. Reading about this brought up two questions. Is it common for violent acts to be perpetrated against gays in and around Jerusalem, and secondly, if violence is an issue of concern is the Israeli government working to prevent it?
For two reasons I would expect the Israeli government to be more proactive in dealing with violence perpetrated against the LGTB community. The first reason is due to the fact that these issues deal with Israeli citizens. I assume that it would be more difficult to ignore crimes committed against full citizens than non-citizens like in the case of the Palestinians. The political climate in Israel should also lead the government to be quick to deal with these types of crimes. While Israel does have a large and extremely vocal orthodox population a large portion of the population is also secular. I hope that the latter would work to ensure the freedom and protection of all Israelis. Israel did allow gays to openly serve in the military, therefore I would expect social progress to slowly continue within the country.

3/18 reading response

The two pieces by Suad Amiry were rather enjoyable to read. I appreciate how her writing takes on a very casual style yet also succeeds in drawing attention to relevant political issues. As I read these two chapters I began to wonder how the travel restrictions that the Israelis placed on the Palestinians developed. My question cannot really be effectively answered (Israeli policymakers would never publicly state the driving reasons behind their policies), but I am curious though as to what degree Israeli border controls are in place simply to discourage Palestinian movement between the occupied territories and Israel proper. Some Israeli border controls are justified, as an extremely porous border would immediately be exploited by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. While there are logical security measures in place it is also undeniable that some of Israel's border protection procedures have been constructed to merely complicate life for the Palestinian community.
The serious attention that Israel devotes to its security made it somewhat comical to read how Amiry was able to enter Jerusalem by making the outlandish claim that she had to escort her dog along with its Jerusalem pass into the city. I will admit that I was thoroughly surprised that Amiry's plan worked. I would have expected the Israeli soldier to simply deny her entry with little explanation.

3/5 reading response

While rap music is generally not a genre that I typically listen to, I have to say that I do appreciate how this type of music has evolved from its humble beginnings in the American inner-city to become so well known across the globe. I respect how rap is being used by both Israeli and Palestinian artists to convey political ideas in a new and creative way; the music isn't simply glorifying the street lifestyle, which many rap artists have certainly been guilty of doing in the past. Some Palestinians are actually doing the opposite of some of their American counterparts, rap is being used to bring attention to the crime and poverty that have become such major points of concern in impoverished neighborhoods. For the Palestinians living in Israel rap is also about expressing their frustration with the political atmosphere, and how they have been relegated to second-class citizenship. One rapper named Mahmoud Jreri made a comment that serves as a rather effective summation of Palestinian-Israeli's view of their own social status within Israel. Jreri stated that: "having an Israeli passport means nothing...when I go to the airport, they still think I am a terrorist. It doesn't matter what you call us, we live in a racist country." While these rhymes and creative beats are unlikely to significantly change the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it is impossible to not appreciate those who shed light on this conflict in a new and creative way.  
I was most interested in the website pertaining to HEARTBEAT: JERUSALEM. I see great benefit to be had in engaging young Israelis and Palestinians in a relatively nonpolitical setting. As I read about this program and the Israeli and Palestinian musicians an important question began to surface. Is it common for Israelis and Palestinians to listen to each other's music? It is important to know how much interaction already occurs as this shows what type of roadblocks cultural exchange programs face.

The Walls of Jerusalem

I read an article entitled Israel's West Bank Barrier: An Impediment to Peace? by Shaul E. Cohen. The articled analyzed how Israel's construction of barriers both around and through the West Bank affects prospects for peace. One point brought up by Cohen that surprised me is how some of the most extreme hawks in the Israeli government are actually opposed to the construction of the separation barriers. They believe that physically separating Israel from Palestinian lands limits the chance that they can eventually be taken for Israel.
Overall Cohen takes the stance that the barriers are detrimental for the peace process. Encircling Palestinian communities, and having the barriers move beyond the border demarcated by the green line complicates the creation of a fully independent Palestinian state. By creating a new division a situation develops where people are less eager to support a peace deal. Cohen believes that Israel's construction of the separation barriers has increased the security of the state at the expense of lessening chances for lasting peace.
While I agree with Cohen's point, I do not see the barriers as being the main impediments to peace today. The first problem would be a lack of interest in Israel to halt further settlement construction and really work towards a two state solution. The Palestinian leadership is the other problem. It is unwise to refuse to negotiate with the Israelis unless they freeze settlement construction. The Palestinian leadership should at least try to negotiate with the Israelis to see what gains can be made. It is understandable how Palestinians do not want to see the size of any prospective state shrink, but refusing to negotiate nearly guarantees that a two state solution will not materialize.

Graffiti in Jerusalem

In many ways it is surprising how the art of graffiti has evolved in the United States in a way that is so different from many countries around the world. Thoughtful political graffiti isn't very prevalent here in the United States, and is a development that I consider to be somewhat inconsistent with American Ideals. While imperfect like all other democracies, the United States does pride itself on being a champion of free speech; yet political graffiti is quite rare. In some ways this absence is understandable. Graffiti is the expression of free speech in its most unrefined form; it isn't legal and many murals seldom convey a clear message. It is the anthesis to the carefully written and eloquent speech of the social revolutionary. What makes graffiti somewhat taboo is also what makes it such a fantastic form of art and style of political activism.
While I am somewhat confused as to why political Graffiti isn't more common in the United States, it is easy to understand why Israel's walls have become such magnets for graffiti. The walls themselves are controversial and people naturally want to protest their existence. I suspect that there is a more specific reason why people paint graffiti on walls in the West Bank. The walls serve as literally concrete symbols of Israel's domination of West Bank that is seen as such a tragedy by so many. By coating the walls with messages and pictures, individuals can transform a negative into a positive. Over time, the walls will be seen less as barriers between people and more as canvases for activists and artist to speak their minds.

Journal Response

I listen to music as a way to escape what I have to do in life or to make certain mindless activities more enjoyable. When listening to music I typically do not devote a lot of attention to lyrics. Whether or not a song is enjoyable to listen to is what matters the most. However, there are some exceptions where it is impossible not to appreciate the political or societal observations that some songs subtly unveil through creative lyrics.
Music plays a very unique role in how it influences conflicts. Music seems to generally strengthen the  emotional resolve of one side of a conflict. The counterculture movement of the 1960s is a fitting example of this idea. The hippy movement certainly structured itself around drug use, but also around the new styles of music that really came into being in the 1960s. The 60's freestyle music certainly encouraged disgruntled youths to challenge the highly controversial policies of the U.S. government en masse. The case Jazz musicians of the 1920s and 1930s is similar to that of the 1960s. Jazz's very unreformed, free, and vibrant sound certainly didn't lessen the scofflaw attitude that permeated throughout the speakeasies of prohibition America.
While it is well understood that music can incite social tensions, like that between a government and its citizenry, I am really not sure as to how music affects armed conflicts. I don't know of a conflict where one fighting entity utilized music in its call to arms.
 One famous instance where music wasn't used to lessen a conflict but to encourage the favorability of the United States and its people was during the Cold War when the U.S. sent famous jazz musicians all across the globe. The case of U.S. jazz diplomacy is important to understand because it can help one to develop their expectations regarding musical exchange. Cultural understanding isn't usually about ending conflicts, its about working to see that they are less likely to develop in the future or that they are slightly less intense than they would be without human interaction.
I suspect that in the future the spread of music around the world would more than likely play a small role in lessening political tensions. Conflicts are far too complicated to be erased simply through cultural understanding; having said that I still believe that cultural exchange in all forms is a worthwhile activity.

speaker questions

1. How do you imagine the current Palestinian protests being resolved. Will they simply die down after enough time has passed.

2. What do you see as the reason for increased political violence. What leads to attacks like the one that took place against the Palestinian Arab in Tel Aviv.

3. Why do leaders like Mahmoud Abbas state that they will only negotiate with the Israelis if the construction of settlements is halted. Wouldn't it be better to negotiate no matter what and at least make an attempt to save the future of a Palestinian state.

10th Reading response

I found the video about Jewish rapper Yitz "Y-Love" Jordan to be very unique. While rap music is more than just catchy tunes devised as a way of glorifying the street lifestyle, a black Jew hailing from Brooklyn is the last person that I would expect to be a practicing rap artist. I enjoyed watching the interview and Jordan struck me as a rather interesting person.
Jordan's music didn't strike me as anything that could be branded as political extremism. What lyrics I did hear seemed to simply recite stories from Jewish texts as a way of promoting life lessons and valuable morals. However, I would like to know what negative effects Jewish rap like Jordan's could have on impressionable youth. While I don't see his music as being very threatening from a political standpoint, I can imagine how music that allows for the easier memorization of sacred texts could lead individuals to become more interested in more conservative sects of Judaism. Another possible trend would be for ultra-orthodox who do advocate extremist ideologies to utilize this style of music in order to spread their beliefs that do negatively affect prospects for conflict resolution.

project outline

I will be working on the project with Sophia Pifer. We will make a presentation that focuses on issues associated with West Bank settlers. First, we will provide a basic background of the Gush Emunim movement. The bulk of the presentation will focus on the issue of violence perpetrated by settlers  and the problems that this has caused for the state of Israel and how this affects the future of the peace process. We will also work to explain some of what motivates settler behavior, and what can be done to combat this issue. Our presentation will utilize powerpoint and may include a video.

Sources:

• Social control theory and the connection with ideological offenders among israeli youth during the gaza disengagement period. 

• They shoot prime ministers too, don't they? religious violence in israel: premises, dynamics, and prospects. 

• The causes of vigilante political violence: the case of jewish settlers. 

• Volatile investments and unruly youth in a west bank settlement 

• The Rise of Settler Terrorism 

• I also ordered two books from the library. I don't remember the titles. 

Ninth Reading Response

There was one passage in this reading that grabbed my attention. Daniel Barenboim stated that; "I believe that in cultural matters - with literature and, even better, with music, because it doesn't have to do with explicit ideas - if we foster this kind of a contact, it can only help people feel nearer to each other, and this is all." I like the core idea that this comment presents and what it says about the capabilities of cultural exchange. It would be absurd to expect cultural exchanges to magically erase conflicts that have long existed between communities across the world; that said, I do agree with Barenboim's view that cultural exchange can sometimes lessen the intensity of conflicts. This concept reminds me of a book that I read entitled Cultural Exchange & The Cold War: Raising The Iron Curtain, where author Yale Richmond wrote about the various experiences of both U.S. and Soviet citizens who visited each other's countries throughout the cold war. After finishing the book and seeing how some Soviet leaders who had been responsible for reform in their country had in fact taken part in cultural exchanges with the United States I was convinced that these exchanges did play a small but not unimportant role in cooling U.S.-Soviet relations and the eventual end of the cold war.
I would disagree with two points that Barenboim made. The first would be the notion that only the exchange of literature and music are beneficial in developing cultural understanding. I believe that the same sort of cultural understanding can develop from an exchange of many cultural aspects, such as all art forms, students, artists, and intellectuals. Another point of critique that I have for Barenboim's comment is the idea that the exchange of literature and music doesn't have to do with the exchange of ideas. This is absolutely not true. Music can certainly be used to portray emotions, ideas and beliefs; it is just done in a very abstract way. This is also the case with Literature; a society's literature says a great deal about its values and can teach outsiders about its unique culture.

Journal

As I think about what defines who I am, I come to the realization that we are defined by nearly every aspect of our lives. That said, I do believe that there are some items and concepts that make for more symbolic representations of who I am.

1. Religulous: This movie is an absolute riot. But what makes Religulous such an awesome film is that it is poignant comedy. There is something to be said for jokes that are funny but also raise sincere questions about the human tendency to wholeheartedly accept the validity of religious stories and how these beliefs affect our world. I myself am an atheist; Religulous helps to define who I am in that it touches upon concepts that are similar to those that have led me to not believe in any sort of religious ideology.







2. Pets: My family has always considered having animals to be an important part of life. I've always viewed my dogs as being members of my family. This also applies for many of my relatives as well. I was taught from a young age to respect animals and to value how they can make life more enjoyable.

3. Traveling: There are some who seldom set aside time to travel and enjoy all that the world has to offer. I can gladly say that I was raised in a family that avoided this mistake. As I was growing up my family and I would take a vacation every year. I appreciate that I was given the opportunity to experience the different regions of the United States and become more familiar with each one's distinct geography, food, and culture.                                  
                                                                                   (Yellowstone National Park Donkey)

       















4. The News: As a security and intelligence major I have always been fascinated by world's history and conflicts. News sources and analysis are representative of my desire to better understand our world which is so incredibly dark and beautiful all at the same time.

Eighth Reading Response

It was very interesting learning about the linguistic and cultural divides that existed between the different Jewish communities located in both the Middle East and Europe. Previously, I was under the impression that Jewish people would have spoken the most common language from where they resided and Hebrew (with a few exceptions where Yiddish was preferred). I had never heard of some of the languages that were mentioned in the reading. I am still confused by what exactly is the defined separation between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews. I thought that Sephardic Jews were those who hailed from the Iberian peninsula, but apparently Sephardic Jews are also Jewish people whose ancestors lived in North Africa? I would appreciate some clarification regarding this definition. 

Learning more about how Arab Jews dealt with defining their identity would make for an interesting topic to continue researching. I would like to see statistics (if they even exist) showing the breakdown of how may Arab Jews supported the creation of Israel and how many were either opposed or found it to be unnecessary. I could easily see how opinions could develop in both directions. Those who practiced Judaism were certainly in the minority in the Middle East and couldn't possibly be blamed for wanting to have a state of their own in order to achieve a sense of security.On the other hand, I could also understand the opposite opinion. If an individual found his or her Arab identity to be the most important then the creation of a Jewish state wouldn't have been seen as a necessary political development. 

Project Proposal

I would like for my project to be an evaluation of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories. This is a broad topic so there will be a focus on some specific issues. I would like to discuss the increasingly conservative attitudes of the settlers themselves and the reasons behind this development. I would also explain how these settlers affect prospects for peace, how Israel should respond to this issue, and the likelihood that they actually do so.

Seventh Reading Response

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the final chapters of Armstrong's book. While her rundown of Israeli history following its creation was highly abbreviated I thought that it fairly explained the actions and grievances of both sides. Her writing effectively culminated with an explanation of the uptick in violence that occurred in 1995 and how this greatly diminished chances for conflict resolution. The way in which Armstrong's lack of confidence that peace could come about in 1995 closely mirrors the reasons that many experts give today in explaining why even today a peace deal is unlikely to be adopted is particularly telling. This case of history ominously repeating itself allows one to truly understand what a monumental task it is to bring lasting peace to Israel/Palestine. However, I do not believe that a peace deal of some form should not yet be branded an impossibility.
On a much lighter note, I was fascinated by Armstrong's passages about Theodore Herzl. I had never heard that he initially proposed establishing a Jewish state in Uganda of all places. I would be interested to know more about his initial desire, as I cannot think of any advantage to settling in Uganda. His contempt for Jerusalem itself was also surprising. Herzl diverted his attention away from the historical significance of Jerusalem and instead focused on its dilapidated physical state during his visit to the city.
Looking at it as a whole, I can confidently say that I benefited from reading Armstrong's book. I gathered a wealth of knowledge regarding Jerusalem. Like I've said before, I have a pretty solid understanding of the Middle East's conflicts, but I would like to know more about Jerusalem itself. This book was a good starting point.

sixth reading response

It was interesting reading these chapters and looking at how differently the Christian crusaders of 1099 acted as opposed to the army of Saladin when he conquered Jerusalem in 1187. It seems in my mind at least, that when the Christians first conquered Jerusalem, the type of violence that the city had seen before reached a whole new level, as this was the first time that Armstrong made an effort to describe the exploits of a conquering force. The following quote by Raymond of Aguiles is particularly telling:
"It I tell the truth it will exceed your powers of belief. So let it suffice to say this much, at least, that in the Temple and the Porch of Solomon, men rode in blood up to their knees and the bridle reins. Indeed, it was a just and splendid judgment of God that this place should be filled with the blood of unbelievers since it had suffered so long from their blasphemies."
While this passage is certainly guilty of being hyperbole to some extent, I feel that it is not as much of an exaggeration as one would like to image.
Saladin's willingness to spare the lives of many of Jerusalem's inhabitants is an interesting decision from the tales of military history. While I don't believe that he made this decision out of any real remorse for his adversaries, I do believe that knowing about his decision is valuable in that it breaks free from the traditional narrative of Jerusalem's history. The city hasn't known nothing but savage bloodshed; there have been brief occasions where political cooperation and controlled attitudes have prevailed.

Fifth Reading Response

I found this section of reading rather unenjoyable. It was difficult to follow and understand the development of the different religious groups and the nuances of their specific beliefs. There were some facts that surprised me, as they differed substantially from the historical narrative that I had in mind. I was well aware that the Byzantine empire began to accept Christianity and that this greatly assisted the spread of the religion. However, I was surprised to read about the rule of Emperor Julian and his strong opposition to the Christian faith and that he went so far as to allow the Jews to at least attempt the reconstruction of the Temple Mount as part of an effort to revive non-Christian religions throughout the empire. This reading was also important in how its explanation of the early conflict between Christians and Jews gently foreshadowed future religious conflicts of a far grander scale that would rock the Middle East and reverberate across the entire globe.

Journal #2

Like many who observe the Israel/Palestinian conflict, I am not particularly optimistic that a resolution is likely to develop in the near future. I see two main reasons that a resolution is not soon at hand. This first is the decreased incentive that the Israelis have to make concessions towards the Palestinians. The second is the changing political climate in Israel. The recent elections have shown that designing a peace deal doesn’t appear to be as important to the Israeli populace as it once was.

            Although there is a diminished incentive for the Israelis to push for the implementation of a two-state solution, some advantages remain for the pursuit of peace. It is true that there isn’t an Intifada raging at this time, but Hamas’ resistance has ensured that violence has maintained its place within this conflict and probably will for the foreseeable future. Recently, though, the dynamics of the fighting around Gaza have changed. The engagements associated with Operation Pillar of Defense ended in a way that I wouldn’t have predicted; there wasn’t a ground invasion by the IDF. There are really two main reasons an invasion was prevented. The first is that there was an intense and surprisingly successful effort to negotiate a truce. Israel was approaching an election season and politicians often want to avoid fighting wars that can damage their popularity. The second is that the Israelis were able to defend themselves in a way unlike during Operation Cast Lead of 2008-09 or the 2006 Lebanon war.

Israel has always been making strides to improve the capability of its military, and this march has only continued in recent years. One system in particular symbolizes this technological dominance and greatly enhances overall security. Iron Dome allowed the Israelis to down the rockets that posed the greatest threat to population centers; as a result, only a few Israelis were killed during last November’s hostilities. While it would be a mistake to deem Iron Dome the “magic bullet” in Israel’s long search for the ability to substantially quell Katyusha rocket attacks, it has allowed the Israelis to more effectively weather upticks in violence. This system does have its limitations; Iron Dome will never provide ironclad protection. With each missile costing around $50,000, and the fact that no system like this is fail-safe, the Israelis will still suffer casualties from rocket attacks. While less likely, the situation may arise where Israel must send its military back into the Gaza Strip. Israel is certainly more secure than in the past years, but current policies regarding the Palestinian community leave open the possibility for future conflicts and therefore there will always be benefits, albeit lessened ones, to working towards implementation of a two-state solution.

            While an increasing military dominance does play a role in the likelihood of a two-state solution being adopted, the ideologies of Israel’s main political parties are of equal importance. The weakening of Netanyahu and his Likud party has come from both the rise of conservative and liberal-secular cadres in recent elections, and when one looks at how wildly different these groups are it becomes difficult to imagine how a coalition government is going to agree to push for a real solution to the issue of the Palestinians. Netanyahu has advocated varying policies relating to the Palestinians. He has voiced his support for eventually implementing a two-state solution, yet has also continued the expansion of Israeli settlements within the West Bank – settlements which make it difficult to create a viable Palestinian state. It is also crucial to realize that the conflict with the Palestinians is not the security issue that Netanyahu focuses on. He directs a great deal of attention to the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear program (a threat that I feel is overhyped). Other parties and individuals in the Israeli government are also mainly directing attention toward issues aside from the two-state solution. Yair Lapid’s new centrist party, Yesh Atid, is focusing on domestic issues that the government has failed to address, issues such as: widening income inequality, education reform, and the tens of thousands of ultra-orthodox Jews who are exempt from military service and subsidize their religious studies with government stipends. Lapid supports a two-state solution, but says that any acceptable deal includes Israel keeping its largest settlements in the West Bank. While Yesh Atid did become the largest single party in the Knesset, the conservative forces also made significant gains in the recent elections. Naftali Bennett, who leads the conservative party known as Jewish Home, opposes granting statehood to the Palestinians. He advocates that Israelis settle the rural areas of the West Bank while letting the Palestinians govern themselves in the remaining areas under the watchful eyes of Shin Bet (Israel’s domestic intelligence service).

            It is hard to predict where the politically diverse Knesset will find common ground and exactly what policies it will advocate and what issues it will tackle. It is true that many Israelis want to see a two-state solution come about, but there are also those who are indifferent and those who are expressly opposed. I have a tough time imagining how Israel will make the collective decision to grant full statehood to the Palestinians. Dismantling settlements and working to relocate whole communities doesn’t strike me as something that the ideologically diverse Knesset will call for.

            If a two-state solution were to be adopted, what would it look like? It would probably consist of the Israelis dismantling the unauthorized and the smaller legal settlements in the West Bank, but also require the Palestinians to accept that the largest Israeli settlements will stay in place. With this continued Israeli presence the Palestinians would have to accept the construction of an Israeli controlled road system to connect these settlements to Israel proper as well as the presence of some Israeli security forces at the permanent settlements.

            Predicting the fate of both Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip is of the greatest difficulty. The symbolic value of Jerusalem makes it hard to imagine how the Israelis would be willing to cede any annexed areas to the Palestinians, if not take even more of the city. I can hardly guess how peace could come to Gaza. The Israelis have shown no desire to negotiate long-term peace with Hamas and Hamas hasn’t shown any real signs of ending its rule of Gaza and its armed resistance against Israel.

            There certainly are difficulties with defining exactly what a two-state solution would look like, but this isn’t why a solution is unlikely to materialize in the near future. Improved security has lessened the incentives to make concessions in the name of peace. And ideologically distant parties are unlikely to build common ground around the creation of an independent Palestine. These facts greatly diminish chances that a two-state solution will be achieved any time soon.

Fourth Reading Response

As I read through this section of reading I struggled to keep straight in my mind the specific reasons for the Jews different revolts against outside rulers and the names and philosophies behind the varying groups that advocated different forms of rule in Israel. Putting aside this confusion I still learned a lot about the ancient history of Israel/Palestine. Before I had read these chapters I was already familiar with the fact that the Romans ruled Palestine, but I was unaware that the Greeks and Babylonians had also ruled this land for a time. 

I am not a religious person, and therefore have never been very knowledgable about the intricacies of how different religions practice their faiths. What I did learn about the Jewish faith and the practice of religion in general was very intriguing. I knew that animal sacrifice had formerly been a part of the practice of Judaism, but I didn't know to what extent. I was surprised to read how animal sacrifice was the predominate activity at the Temple Mount. I found Armstrong's explanation interesting, how ancient religions focused much more on ritual animal sacrifice than upon organized prayer that we see so much more today. I am curious as to what led to the decline of sacrifice. Was it seen as being wasteful? Did people no longer see a benefit in its practice? This is a question that I would like to know more about. 

Third Reading Response

While I did find it somewhat difficult keeping the names and the different stages of rule straight in my mind, I really enjoyed this first reading assignment. My knowledge of modern Israeli history is rather strong, but I am virtually clueless when it comes to the ancient history of this land. I actually gained a lot from completing this first section of reading.
One point that Armstrong made that I found to be of particular interest was from the very beginning of the book. She wrote about the concept that religious beliefs are often a very important factor in the creation of new settlements around the world. Armstrong points out that the belief that a certain area can allow for one to easily connect with the divine world can play a major role in the creation or expansion of a particular settlement. This fact makes it seem somewhat ironic that humans have historically seen Jerusalem as the city that uniquely developed out of the evolution of religions. It is interesting to wonder just how many cities initially developed out of the human desire to expand upon their faith. That said, I still do believe that Jerusalem is a unique city due to its history. It is undeniable that no city has ever been so intensely connect to major world religions and the conflicts that develop around them.

Journal Response #1

Like nearly all classes, this class did not immediately grab my attention. The first readings were indeed quite boring, and the first conversations did not grab my attention in any serious way. That will of course, begin to change as the class begins to study and discuss more specific regional issues. This is something that I honestly do look forward to, as I have always maintained a great passion for Israeli history.
I enjoyed listening to how the conversation started to become heated as it was debated who was really responsible for initiating the conflict in Gaza. While it is interesting to have the blame discussion, I do feel that it can become quite repetitive. I have always been a rather strong supporter of Israel, but at the same time I am understanding of the Palestinian's grievances and while there is little chance that it will bring a solution to the regional conflict I understand why some individuals resort to armed resistance. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak once made the comment that if he were a Palestinian he would have joined a terrorist organization. I think that this point is quite telling. It emphasizes the notion that one cannot easily brand one side as being the "bad guy" regarding this particular conflict. Most individuals looking at this conflict generally sympathize with one side or the other, and that is perfectly natural. I personally see debates weighing the morality of the Palestinians and the Israelis as being of little value. No matter which side one sympathizes with, it should be easy to see the legitimate reasons why the other side continues the fight.
For myself, our end of the semester project is a bit of an issue. I am completely undecided as to what I would like to make a presentation about. I am contemplating some very basic ideas, but I'll have to think about this a lot more. Its hard to come up with a topic for a presentation. I am too used to having to answer a question posed by the class instructor. Maybe I have too much freedom regarding my research?

Second Reading Response

There were two important facts touched upon in these readings that I found to be of particular interest. The first is how the Sephardic Jewish populations that were expelled from the Iberian peninsula during the Spanish Inquisition played an important role in adding to the overall size of the Jewish communities in Jerusalem. Of course, it was through the immigration of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that the Jewish population of Palestine reached that levels allowed for the eventual creation of a Jewish state. I would be interested to learn more about the immigration that developed as a result of the Inquisition and the experiences of the communities that were established in Jerusalem.
The second bit of information that I found to be intriguing is how Jerusalem is a city that is actually of little value from a geographic perspective. Due to the dynamics of the surrounding land the city has historically been rather difficult to access from the outside, and until the development of a system of aqueducts, was plagued by a nearly constant water shortage. While it is a well known fact, it is amazing to just think about how humans can fight with such vigor for a city that has been of limited economic value. Jerusalem's value truly does come from the emotional attachment that people have to it.

First Reading Response

I certainly would not consider our first batch of class readings to be the most intriguing. Essay's presenting a basic outline of a city reenactment that never materialized probably are not at the top of most people's reading lists. That said, these essays are rather useful in helping readers to understand the wonderful cultural diversity of Jerusalem. Just reading the descriptions of the myriad of traditions that program leaders had to decide whether or not to include in their Jerusalem program effectively highlights this point. I would consider it to be a bit of an extrapolation to use these writings to help one develop a deep understanding of the conflict that has become such a significant part of the lives of Jerusalem's inhabitants; general readings regarding the city's history would serve this purpose much better. These essays have their purpose.
As I went through the readings I thought that the idea of placing a Jerusalem exhibit on the national mall was an interesting idea. Most people will not travel to Jerusalem, but an exhibit could be an effective way to educate significant numbers of individuals. It is unfortunate that the Living Jerusalem exhibit never materialized.

About Me

I am a third year international studies major here at Ohio State. Currently, I have not yet decided precisely what job I will pursue following graduation. For now I am content with focusing on finishing school. I have sustained a serious interest in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Taking this class is of the utmost importance to me, as I will be joining the May trip to Jerusalem. Visiting Israel is something that I have always wanted to do, and I am thrilled that I will finally have to opportunity to do so.