It’s been quite awhile, and I’m skipping a lot here (all of classes, passover, spring break) by starting with this blog post, but it couldn’t be put off any longer. I decided to join a cohort called Ta Shema spearheaded by JStreetU in an effort to hear an alternate narrative about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in an effort to broaden my own understanding of the conflict. My entire focus of study is surrounded by the difficult situation here in Israel, and I couldn’t in good conscience continue my studies without hearing the “other” side.

It was important for me to recognize that in a conflict like this one, with so much pain, anger, and bitterness on both sides, that there is a reason that there has been no resolution. It cannot be possible that it is so clean cut and logical, as each side would have you believe. According to the current Prime Minister of Israel, or my cousin living in a settlement in the West Bank, there are very clear steps that must be taken to ensure peace. According to the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem that I had the opportunity to speak to after the first Ta Shema trip, there are some very different steps that must be taken.

We spoke to Palestinians, members of the Israeli left within the government, and religious theologians. We were told that members of the Israeli right did not want to be associated with JStreet, and would not come to speak with us.

There is a great danger in this lack of full disclosure. It was not clear that there was any reason for the apparent systematic oppression which is the truth for those with whom we spoke. It was not clear for what purpose their lives are so difficult and painful, and have been for so long. We, as students, were not given access to any other truth. It is dangerous for us.

The truth we saw was a first hand look at the looming security barrier casting a shadow meters long into the lives of those living on either side. We drove from Jewish neighborhood to Arab neighborhood within what was meant to be the same municipality, but was easily distinguishable for a number of reasons; namely, the end of cleanly paved roads, a glaring lack of sidewalks, and the general feeling of being in a developing country. It was possible to close your eyes and tell if you were in a Jewish area or an Arab one, merely by feeling how bumpy the ride was. As we left one Jewish area, we watched as the sidewalk ended abruptly- leading to narrow streets where the inhabitants rode horses bareback while carrying bags of groceries.

It is dangerous for politicians, who are incapable of sitting at a table and speaking to students because it shows that they are unwilling to bend, and therefore, will eventually break. It is dangerous because the only truth we know is one that looks like needless oppression of an impoverished population. It is dangerous for JStreet, because as an organization it looks like it is limiting its students to only hear part of the story.

The one thing that has been made very clear to me is that there is no “easy” or “right” side. Both sides, if the conflict can even be simplified to far as to say there are two distinct sides, have done irreparable harm to the other. I truly believe that the only way to resolve this conflict is to have open discussion between all levels of both sides, a discussion which is appearing difficult to coordinate and manage, even within the so called “Jewish side”, if there is such a thing.

People ask what I want to do with my degree, and I never have a good answer for them. For me, it always comes back to putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Without an understanding of their language, how can you understand their religion? Without understanding their religion, how can you understand the basis of their culture? Without understanding their culture, how can you hope to understand their way of life, and their politics? And without that, how can you hope to make peace?

It all comes back to understanding and communication, something that cannot be taught in a classroom, but maybe it can be found in East Jerusalem, where the sidewalk ends.