There’s a classic Jewish story that goes something like this:
Avram and Shlomo have a dispute, so they go to their Rabbi to have him settle it. He and his wife welcome them into their parlor and settle down to hear them out.
Avram speaks first and tells his side of the story to the rabbi. He is articulate, emotional, and logical. He makes a great case for himself. And the Rabbi said, “Avram, you are right.” Next Shlomo stands up. He speaks with such passion and persuasion about his side of the dispute that the Rabbi says to him, “You, too, are right, Shlomo.”
The Rabbi’s wife is upset by this and says to her husband, “How can you say that both of them are right? If one is right, the other must be wrong.”
The Rabbi thinks long and hard and finally says to his wife, “You know, you’re also right.”
When it comes to the issue of Gaza and the West Bank, this story is particularly apt. After 30+ years of anger, misunderstanding, and bloodshed, nobody’s hands are clean, and nobody wants to admit that they might have been wrong about some things. And through all the hatred, lies, and pig-headedness, somehow, a way needs to be found for everyone to co-exist. (I didn’t say like each other, that might be asking for too much.)
Personally, I do not hold with those who say that all of Israel was given to the Jews, and that giving back Gaza is a sin against God. I don’t think God sits there with a map drawing lines as to what is or is not Israel. Israel existed in the heart of every Jew during our long Diaspora. Israel will continue to exist, with or without Gaza. And the wounds the occupation have given us, the spiritual coarsening we have fallen into in a vain attempt to hold onto that land is bad enough. For the sake our our collective soul, we need to let go in order to heal.
But even if giving up Gaza is a good thing, it’s still a hard thing to do, and a sad one. Seeing the photographs of weeping settlers holding onto IDF soldiers who were also weeping, was hard. The settlement policy was a deeply misguided one, but the settlers themselves are not puppets, they’re people. They are not all gun-toting Arab haters, and now they have lost their homes. Perhaps this is the karmic payback we have to go through in order to make amends for past wrongs. If so, then perhaps some good will come of it.
And I do wonder whether giving back Gaza will allow Hamas and their ilk to claim victory, or even worse, give them a reason to keep on sending out suicide bombers and spilling innocent blood. Giving up land for peace is one thing. Giving up land and not getting peace in return would be intolerable.
(Crossposted at the All Spin Zone)