...beyond that, as a species.

Americans should examine how much they actually know about the situation in Gaza.
We should seek diverse opinions from which we can learn as much as possible. Talk to supporters of Israel, who cite the rockets coming into an ever-increasing range of targets and Palestinians who have lived in the situation that those in Gaza face. Keep up with the newspapers, television news, talk shows on radio and TV.

Over the holiday weekend, I watched three documentaries about Gaza and The West Bank. Everyone who is trying to understand the current situation should watch the film called “Gaza Strip,” directed by James Longley. It is done in a real cinema style, no narration, just long shots of the lives of middle-school aged boys in Gaza. Toward the end, one of the boys who were profiled discusses suicide. He doesn’t want to live this life anymore. He is ready for paradise. He is NOT talking about terrorism. He IS, as well as one can determine on video, very depressed. They have stopped going to school.

Another film, called “Life in Occupied Palestine” is actually what appears to be a Powerpoint presentation delivered by a Jewish-American woman who has spent time in The West Bank. She is one who supports the long life of Israel and yet does not support her violent policies. Friends who agree think that inflaming the region might be bad for Israel’s survival.

Of course, these are all just points on a spectrum of opinion.

On September 13, 2001, The AJC published a poem that I wrote, warning of waking a giant. It was, of course, al Qaeda’s plan to wake him. He is stomping over the Middle East from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean and beyond as the military-industrial complex has carte blanche to tap man’s innate lust for violence.

If an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, then 100 eyes for an eye must be worse.

We should be beyond that by now, as a species.