As we are approaching the end of the seminar several themes stand out. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict runs deep and it is hard to fully understand all the complexities, furthermore, Israel needs the help of the international community to resolve this conflict, and beyond help resolving it, they need help gathering the will to push for peace. Speaker after speaker expounded upon the fact that Israelis will not push for peace without pressure from the international community, especially the US.
While the above themes were similar in every lecture, the lecturers themselves could not have been more diverse. Our tour guide said for every two Israelis there are three opinions... We have witnessed this national conversation first hand. In the last two days especially, we met with three very different Knesset members who stretched across the spectrum regarding their opinions of peace process and varied greatly in what issues they felt their political parties should focus on in the elections.
In the picture above we are learning about the ancient City of David from our tour guide Avi. Just one of the many site visits we have participated in that provided the historical context which frames modern Israeli views.
- Clare Gallaher
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