When Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, I supported it. All 9000 Jews were removed (some forcibly) from their homes. Greenhouses, synagogues, gas stations, anything that was owned by Jews or Israel was dismantled. Gazans destroyed much of what was left behind. The Jews used the media to promote their causes, and it was terrible to watch them weep as they were removed from their homes and put on buses. And it was terrible to see the young soldiers execute their cruel orders. I supported it because I felt that the Palestinians have a right to their own state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The peace process had been stalled for years while the intifada was going on, and I felt that this was one giant step towards peace. There were no negotiations, no deals, just Israel handing over the land to the Palestinians.
One year later Hamas won the Palestinian elections, and a year after that Hamas expelled all Fatah members from the Strip. This coup by a terrorist group (Israel was already not thrilled that Hamas was in the government) led to an international boycott of the Strip. This boycott prompted Hamas to increase their rocket fire into Israel. (The rockets began in 2001, but were frequent starting in 2004.) So for a number of years, Israeli citizens were subject to indiscriminate rocket fire. About 15 Israelis were killed, many wounded, and many more suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Additionally, many Palestinians were killed in Gaza as a result of weapons that detonated early or that fell short, and Israeli assaults on the Strip on account of the rockets.
I visited the town of Sderot, which has received a majority of the rockets. I have described it as being my own living nightmare. I also visited the town where the Gaza Jews were relocated. Their pain is still fresh, and they live in very small bungalows with their large families.
That day I realized what an all-around intolerable situation it was: Gaza Jews are removed by their own government, Israelis near Gaza suffer rocket attacks, and Gazans are trapped in what has been described as an “open sewer.” That day I changed my mind about the withdrawal. It had caused great pain for thousands of Jews, and brought no rewards to Israel. The Gazans as well don’t seem to have benefited much from the loss of the Jews (though perhaps they gained some dignity for having their land free of occupation.) I don’t think this could have been predicted in 2005, though.
I don’t know if the Jews should have stayed in Gaza or not, or if Israel should have done something about Hamas being in the government, or if the blockade is useful. What I do know is that we’ve come to a problem of ideology versus practicality. The Jews were removed for reasons of ideology, as if the act itself would usher in some divine series of events which would lead to peace. Gaza is blockaded because of ideology, and rockets are fired for ideology. None of these things have gained anything positive for anyone. But what about reality? What about the Gazans who suffer from the blockade and because their leaders refuse to renounce violence? What about the settlers who long to return to their old homes? What about the residents of Sderot who spend their days in fear? This is not normal for anyone!
When faced with this dilemma of ideology versus practicality, I side with practicality. The settlers, Gazans, and Israelis near Gaza all suffer because of ideology. I wish that Jews could live wherever they wanted. When Gaza becomes part of the State of Palestine—which we all know by now that it will—it would be up to the government of Palestine whether to give citizenship to its Jewish residents, and it would be up to the settlers to decide whether they want to live in an Arab country. Perhaps they could live there as Israelis living abroad. If the Jews were still there, I doubt Israel would blockade it. There has to be a reasonable balance between ideology and practicality. It is good to be guided by a set of ideals, but sometimes the time isn’t ripe for them to be enacted. For some ideas there will never be a ripe time. I think a Palestinian state free of Jews is a fine idea, but would make a horrible reality.
This conflict between ideology and practicality has played out again and again in the Middle East. It has led to endless conflict, and is an excuse to slow everything down. Clearly, doing things according to ideology doesn’t work, and neither does citing practicality as an excuse for not moving forward. Israel and Palestine’s leaders need to step up to the plate and get this resolved in a moderate and just way. I will not go into what that way is, but most Israelis and Palestinians know what it will look like.
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