Thursday 15 November 2012

Wrong Side of the Fence by Rachel Shabi

.
I just read an article in the online magazine "AEON" concerning what has to be the impossible position that Israel is now in with regard to immigration, the settlements, and the treatment of its Palestinian citizens.

This is a link to it:  The Wrong Side of the Fence 

It is a powerful and insightful article.  The last paragraph is a good summery:

"An entrenched self-perpetuating narrative has taken hold in Israel, whereby everyone is against Israel and, even though the country is trying its best, it is surrounded by hostility. Because it turns out — and we could have guessed — being sealed off doesn’t make Israelis feel any safer; all it does is amplify suspicion and insecurity. All it does is provide the perfect breeding ground for hatred and intolerance and racism. It stunts thought, narrows horizons, and inhibits cultural and critical development by severing a crucial, life-giving, mind-expanding exposure to difference. Separation is a daily, crippling nightmare for the outsider group. Yet it is a disaster ofa different sort for those who have chosen to close themselves off, inside a sterile zone". - Rachel Shabi
      

No comments: