My post from last week about my trip to Israel has generated the most private correspondence of any blog post I've written. Several Israeli citizens sent their comments and the post has been reproduced on a number of Jewish-Israeli blogs and websites. I appreciate that very much, but I want to clarify a few things.
First, I realize the trip was paid for by the "pro-Israel" lobby and that we did not go to the Palestinian territories. Everyone on the trip was aware of why we were sent -- to make us better understand and appreciate Israel. But trust me, the voyage was in no way akin to a propaganda tour. We heard straight talk about the security barrier/fence/wall, we heard from Palestinians who met us in Jerusalem -- including this courageous man -- and we heard from Israelis from the far left to the far right. (We could not go to the Palestinian territories because of security concerns.)
Second, it is mistake to call me "pro-Israel." I have never liked the terms pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian. That conflict is far too complicated to pigeon-hole people into convenient binary categories -- as the media all too often does. This issue has little do with nationalities or borders for me. It is about ideas and values. I support any country that respects and promotes democracy, freedom, free markets and human rights.
At present, Israel does; Palestine does not.
I want freedom for the Palestinians and I'm sure some day they will have it. But until they can demonstrate a commitment to live in peace with their neighbour, stop promoting terrorism and martyrdom and dedicate themselves to respecting basic human rights and freedoms (they have shown they "get it" when it comes to democracy already, as unfortunate as their voting preferences may be), then statehood will continue to elude them.
I am not pro- or anti- any country or ethnic group. I am pro-freedom, pro-democracy, pro-human rights and pro-free markets.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:54 PM
