I had lunch with my cousin yesterday. It was a great lunch – we went to Cantina Laredo in the 29^th Street Mall in Boulder, had margaritas and ate lots of Mexican food. Midway through the meal, our small talk and catching up turned into a very interesting conversation.

I’m Jewish. My family is Jewish. Therefore, my cousin that I was dining with yesterday is also (I bet you can guess it) Jewish. About five years ago, she married a Palestinian. Of course, this caused a major ruckus in my family – as you may or may not know; there has been a war going on between the Palestinians and the Israelis for many years.

Here’s a brief history (as I was taught):

The conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis is about land. The State of Israel was established in 1948; however, the Arabs believe that the Israelis took over their land and they do not recognize Israel as a state. It all boils down to each state’s idea of their history. Israel thinks God gave them the land and Palestine (the Arabs) think the land is rightfully theirs. Many people believe that this war is no longer a religious one; it’s now political.

Many peace attempts have been made – mostly to cater to a two-state solution, which would mean that there would be an independent Palestinian state alongside an independent Israeli state. The Palestinian Liberation Organization  accepted a two-state solution in 1988 and the Oslo Accords  were supposed to have contributed to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. However, it didn’t work and there is still fighting today. 

My cousin’s husband is a devout Muslim and whole-heartedly supports Palestine in the war. According to my cousin, her husband did not pressure her to believe the same. He told her to go out, do some research on her own, and make her own conclusion. She came to the same conclusion as her husband – supporting Palestine in the war. 

This is interesting to me because she’s Jewish and still identifies as a Jew. We talked about this for a while at lunch. She said that Jews grow up supporting Israel. Even at Sunday school, the teachers pass around a little piggy bank and kids get money from their parents to donate to planting trees in Israel. From day one, Jews are raised to support Israel. She claims she went out and did her own research in order to come to her conclusion. Do I agree with everything she said yesterday blaming Israel? Absolutely not. Is she entitled to her opinion? Yes. More importantly, is she a part of my family regardless of who she marries and what she believes? Of course.

The media play a role in what people see and hear about the war in Israel. Because the America supports Israel, we only hear about the Israeli death toll or the bombs thrown into Israel. Sometimes, in order to develop a well-rounded opinion, we need to venture out of the immediate media and do some research on our own. 

As my cousin pointed out, there are two sides to every story. While the Israelis and Jews feel only their side of the argument is correct, so do the Palestinians. Um, that’s sort of what war is, right? Fighting for your “rights”? 

We are privileged to live in America where many different ethnicities, religions and races are able to coexist without bombs going off. 

I am Jewish. I was raised Jewish. I consider Israel my homeland and I plan on going on Birthright when I can in order to visit the land my ancestors lived on. I support Israel in the warHowever, and that’s a big however, what I support more is peace. While I do think Israel is “right” in claiming the land as its own, I do not believe in violence as a solution. I do not believe Palestinians should be forcing Israelis out of their homes or their land or vice versa. I do believe that Israelis and Palestinians should work harder to live together (I know, I know. In a perfect world, right?).