Many of you know I studied International Relations at NEC. I spent a good deal of time with a cup of tea in my hand debating and more importantly listening to other students discuss the Middle East crisis. You have to understand... my college was small but had two campuses. One in Henniker, NH and One in Arundel England. As a result, we had a high foreign student population for a total student body of roughly 1000 students. My best friends came from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, New York City, Florida, France/China and Maine. Two of the highest populations came from the Middle East and American Jews. In fact, there was a very close set of friends that lived together, an American Jew and a Kuwaiti. I helped them put up their first Christmas tree. Enough on the background.
The point is ... after my Holocaust class, my Middle East Studies Seminar, my African Seminar, and my World Religions class. ... I fail to understand the creation of Israel where it is. I know I am Monday morning quarterbacking. But really folks, lets put a population of people that have been brought to the point of near extinction in Europe and put them in the historical hot bed of turmoil. Has there ever been true peace in this area? The Ancient Egyptians, Alexander, the Roman Empire, the Crusades and the current day conflicts are all great examples of the most fought over terrain in the world. It seems the fault actually lies with the British on this one. If you look at the conflicts that have faced the world they are along lines drawn by British map makers during the colonization of the World by the British. What would the world political map look like if Israel was a bunch of Caribbean islands rather than in the Mediterranean? Say we gave them, St. Barts or St. Thomas? (Probably they would have changed the name) Would we be staring down the barrel of World War III? Al Quaida calling for a Holy War from Spain to Iraq. I feel like we are back to the Crusades again. Now will someone tell people that history is important... here we go deja vu all over again.
Beyond this, I want to be perfectly clear that I am not an anti-Semite. I believe that the survivors of the death camps deserved a place to call their own where it was a peaceful exististant.
What should have been done? Perhaps this hotbed area in the Middle East should have been a UN zone and area governed like DC is in the States. We could have put the UN building there. Make it a large international park and historical center that no one can own property. It belongs to the people of the World. How would that have been? Socialistic? Perhaps? Again, I am looking at this with the luxury of 60 years documented "I told you so" historical episodes. I just don't know if there is a solution to all of this?
