Exodus: Room with a view

I live in East Jerusalem. From my window I see Palestinian towns and villages, as well as the security barrier Israel erected to prevent suicide bombers from infiltrating into Israel. There is also a fortified Israeli watchtower and checkpoint nearby.

In the mornings and evenings I hear the Palestinian cars honking their horns as they wait at the checkpoint to enter Jerusalem. They figure if they honk enough it will eventually annoy the Israeli soldiers manning the checkpoint and they will let the cars pass.

At all times of the day I hear the Muslim call to prayer coming from various loud speakers. Sometimes I hear a Muslim preacher from one of the many loudspeakers. I don’t know what he is saying.

Occasionally I hear gun shots and at night I see fireworks, as the Palestinians enjoy celebrating with fireworks. Last month, I saw Israeli soldiers fire stun grenades and tear gas at some Palestinians who were harassing them at the nearby checkpoint.
 
I look out the window and see the impossibility of peace in Israel. The Palestinians and Israeli Jews live side by side and are worlds apart.

For now, Israel has the upper hand. Israel can limit the movement of the Palestinians. Israel can cut their power and water. Israel has control of the airspace and when the Israelis meet the Palestinians to negotiate a final status agreement I am sure Israel will not give enough to satisfy the Palestinian demands. Perhaps nothing short of the destruction of Israel would satisfy the Palestinians.

What then? I guess the Israelis and Palestinians will begin killing each other in large numbers again.

The possibility of peace in Israel is zero. One can only hope for periods of relative calm, interrupted by periods of large-scale violence.

The Palestinians will never forget how their land was wrested from them by the Jews. The Palestinians will never forget the villages, towns, and cities where their ancestors came from. The Palestinians will never relinquish their right to pray on the Temple Mount, the third holiest site of Islam, and the Palestinians are willing to die for their rights.

The Israeli Jews are stuck. They have to live here. Many of their ancestors came to Israel to escape the anti-Semitism of Europe and the Arab world. The Israeli Jews live with the memory of the Holocaust. Israel was supposed to be a safe-haven for the Jews, but now Israel is a relatively large Jewish ghetto, armed to the teeth, surrounded by enemies seeking its annihilation. After nearly 60 years of existence the wars with the Arabs continue and the world wide phenomenon of anti-Semitism is getting worse. Was this Herzl’s dream? 

Where’s the Messiah when you need him?