By Alyse Feldman
This past Shabbat we spent in the community of Alon Shvut. Throughout the day on Saturday we were presented with speakers who came from all walks of life and had all different viewpoints. My favorite speaker was Ruth Lieberman. She is a resident of Alon Shvut as well as an advocate on behalf of the Israeli government right wing party, Likud. Ruth has a kind presence, but as soon as she opened her mouth it became clear that she is a true powerhouse!
Ruth stands firm in her belief that she is not wrong for living in a settlement. She spoke to us about the good that her community does in order to try and give money and resources to the Palestinians living near them. Ruth told us about how the PA makes it nearly impossible to do good for the Palestinian people, because if they are ever given anything, the government forbids it's use due to the fact that it was given by Israel. Many of the residents, she said, live in fear that they or their families will be harmed for even being friends with Israelis. Regardless, she is friends with neighbors and often talks to them and brings other politicians to talk to them about the situation.
In my mind, I imagined that there was no cross-over between the two peoples, even though they live so close. When Ruth told us that her Palestinian friends bring firewood for her, it surprised and amazed me. It's a small neighborly gesture, but a kind one. I never would have imagined a woman who sat on the Gush Etzion town council and was a member of the Israeli government would go sit and have tea while openly discussing issues from both sides with her Arab neighbors.
One thing on this note that Ruth brought up is the fact that even these kind people cannot come all the way to her home. Due to the security, they are not able to get into her neighborhood. I understand where this is coming from and I agree that it's usually better to be safe than sorry, but it's sad. I hate that innocent people are grouped in with the extremest and people who intend to do bad. It's sad that kind people are treated with scrutiny and suspicion because of the bad people who are associated with them.
Ruth also spoke to the fact that if simply moving out of her home would make peace, she absolutely would, as would most others in the area. The thing that many people around the world don't understand, though, is that it isn't just about the areas of Judea and Samaria. The controlling forces of the Palestinians don't want Israel out of certain areas, they want Israel gone all together. Additionally, without a fully functioning government who has the needs and best interest of their citizens as first priority, there would be almost no use in giving these territories over. If so, the West Bank would likely become a situation like Gaza, where a terrorist force is in control, resources are used for the bad, the people are mistreated, and Israel would continue to be attacked, now from even more places.
I'm still not sure I can say that I am pro-settlement, but I also don't think I can say that I'm against it. After hearing Ruth as well as a duel conversation between a Jewish man and a Palestinian man living in the area, I see both sides. I understand that there are many innocent Arab people who seem to have been given the short straw in life for simply being who they are- and that's awful. But at the same time, I don't think that these territories are the big issue at hand. There are so many more pressing issues getting in the way of peace. Many may disagree with me, but as Ruth said, until you have come here to see how things are and spoken to people on both sides, you are in no position to make a judgement. Even myself, having only spent a weekend in Gush Etzion, I am really in no position to make a firm judgement.
I hope that I continue to get the opportunity to learn, I hope that the wonderful people I met this weekend can live in peace in their lovely community, and I hope above all else that we may soon find a solution to this conflict. So much energy is being used to hate, and it makes my heart heavy. If people would only spend half the energy they are on hating to support and love one another, the world would be such a better place.
