Three Speakers Tyiul - Jeremy Faust :)

Today the entirety of Heller High had the privilege of listening to three speakers give their perspective and opinions of the conflict with the Palestinian people and the conquered territories. In order we heard; Amit Poni Kronish, Gabe Reiss, and Roni Keidar. 

1st Speaker  - Amit Poni Kronish

Amit is Ariella's husband! He was a soldier who served in Zone C of Gaza before Israel's withdraw in 2005. He has served in the numerous operations surrounding Gaza in the last decade. One thing he said about this time before the withdraw was that the cooperation between the PA security forces and the IDF was friendly. The two forces would go on joint patrols of surrounding areas and that process was peaceful. 

Gaza, like the West Bank, had its landmass split into different parts after the Oslo Accords. Zone A is in complete control of the Palestinian Authority while Zone C is under complete control of Israel. 

In the map above, Zone B (PA Administration, Israeli military control) was non - existent in Gaza.

The entire area of Gaza now has no Jews in permanent residence.

Gaza is not entirely urbanized. It has four major cities are seen above, its largest being Gaza City which is the De Facto capital. The entire strip has a staggering population of 1.85 million people.

2^nd Speaker – Gabe Reiss

The perspective of Gabe is one that we rarely get to see on this program. He is a settler in an illegal Jewish settlement in the West Bank. “Illegal” is a hard term for Gabe, as he explained that it only illegal due to the unfair international opinion and the politically swayed Israeli government. I will present his ideas by saying a common idea and what his opinion of it is.

The Two – State solution

Gabe made it very clear that the idea of creating a Palestinian state through a diplomatic process is something that Gabe is not a fan of. He says that politicians don’t understand what is best for the people like himself. That is a very common view and as someone who lives a successful life doing something that is seen as illegal by the international community, I understand his view.

He believes that the PA is not good for the Palestinian people. He says that he knows many of his Arab neighbors that are distraught with the leadership of the PA, and that they wish there was an Israeli administration. Speaking of neighbors, Gabe says that he has a very good relationship with Arab and Jewish neighbors. He is sad that the current generation of Palestinians don’t learn Hebrew and tend to stay away from any Israeli culture, which hurts their chances at succeeding in Israeli society and makes them more aligned with the PA.

Because of these things, Gabe does not support the “Peace – Process” and opposes the Oslo Accords in every way. He thinks the road to peace will not come from, “Top to bottom, it will come from bottom to top. People like me and actual residents of the areas will create a lasting peace, which will then be solidified by politicians.”

Map of Israeli Settlements in the West Bank. Gabe lives south of Jerusalem far past the Green Line.

Jewish control of Eretz Yisrael

Gabe over time has become a more observant Jew. He said that this came from raising his own children and seeing the affects of the Oslo Accords on people. He believes that with God’s commandment of conquered the land, it means all of it. Gabe feels regret towards giving the Sinai to Egypt, as thousands of terrorist attacks have killed many people in the region. Also, his definition of the holy land extends that of Israel’s borders today. His envisioned state would take territory up into Lebanon, west into Jordan, and northwest into Syria.

To Conclude

Hearing Gabe speak and tell us about his views was hard for the group. Towards the end of his

talk, there was much yelling and many people raising valid points against his ideology. To hear

Gabe and people like him is important. If we are to truly call ourselves liberals, we must be

opened minded and willing to hear others. Even to change your beliefs if the facts to back up

your opinions are overwhelming. To be a liberal Jew, we must be able to hear all sides, while not

putting down another.

3rd Speaker - Roni Keidar

Our final speaker was Roni Keidar. Roni is an old woman who has a fascinating story of living near and with Palestinians. Roni lived in a settlement in Sinai and eventually was evacuated by Israel after peace was made with Egypt. It was extremely hard for her. Her moshav (settlement) relocated to a town on the border of Gaza, Sderot, so that their land would never be contested and they would never have to be evacuated again. 

Roni talked about how the peace treaty between Egypt in Israel would be useless, unless a real connection between the people was made to foster a hard peace. Her husband and her moved to Egypt and lived in a community where they exchanged agricultural methods. It was a way to create a lasting peace, by participating within an exchange of cultures and livelihoods. 

Roni works for an organization called, "Other Voice". It's goal is to end the violence in Gaza by creating a communication between both sides of conflict. Their purpose from their website is: 

1. To bring awareness to international, Israeli and Palestinian publics and decision makers concerning the high physical and psychological toll that the violence has on Israelis and Gazans
2. To bring awareness concerning the need for achieving a non-violent, political solution to the conflict
3. To connect Israelis and Gazans
4. To strengthen support in Israel and Palestine; to reach a critical mass that supports peace efforts.

Her biography is: 

I live in Moshav Netiv Ha'asara near the Gaza border and have 5 children and 15 grandchildren. 

My academic training is in education and I worked as a teacher for many years. Between 1979-2009 I gave talks to groups visiting our moshav when we lived in the Northern Sinai – young people living on agriculture in the desert, and in our new place after the evacuation from Sinai in accordance with the Peace Treaty with Egypt.

After spending over 4 years in Egypt (1984-1989), where I learned the power of discussion – talking, listening and understanding - I looked for more people who believe that violence is not the answer. Not easy, I might add but eventually, in 2009,  I met people from Other Voice, people with different political affiliations, but in total agreement that talking is far more powerful than violence and I have been active in this organization ever since.

Roni's dedication towards an open dialogue was inspiring. Personally, I found her answer to the peace process much more satisfying. One of the coolest things that she said was that, "Some people would call me a dreamer. I think those who think the Palestinian people will lose their want for a state are dreamers. I'm a realist." 

A Question:

OK! Before coming on this program, what was your opinion on the Palestinian conflict? What is it now?