Middle East 101

i was glad to see this article in the local PA paper this weekend, accompanied by the picture of a kindly middle aged pennsylvanian woman - the author.

with only 1 in 5 American's who even own a passport - it's no wonder our view of the world may not be entirely accurate...

you can find this story by going to Patriot-News
and searching on "MIDEAST TOUR JOLTS PRECONCEPTIONS"
but there is no way to link directly to the story :(

Publication: Patriot-News, The (Harrisburg, PA)
Author(s): LINDA FIGUEROA For the Patriot-News
Date: July 16, 2006

MIDEAST TOUR JOLTS PRECONCEPTIONS

Perhaps, like many central Pennsylvanians of a certain age, my long-held impressions of the Middle East were too influenced by "Casablanca," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Lawrence of Arabia" as well as the media images from news of the region.

My recent study tour of the Middle East blew away all those stereotypes and jolted my view of this part of the world.

I thought that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict was principally religious. After visiting the Palestinians in refugee camps in three countries and understanding the plight of workers such as nomadic Arab Bedouin sheep herders, I can see it is based more on economics, including control of the land and the water.

I envisioned Israel as a small, homogeneous country under constant siege. What we saw was an Israeli military that was quite effectively in control; in fact, it is the world's fourth largest military power.

I perceived that Israel had it all figured out. But, with about 5 million people, including 1.2 million Israeli Arabs, more than 70 political parties and approximately 400,000 guest workers, it has no common culture. There is no common language because few immigrants speak Hebrew. There really is not a common religious base either, as few people are devout Jews and there are Muslims and Christians in residence, too.

I worried about anti-American sentiment. Yet, the people were extraordinarily welcoming. They yelled "welcome" from their cars and "God be with you" from their shops.

They enjoyed practicing their English, and a surprising number spoke or at least understood English. In Jerusalem, Beirut, Tripoli and Damascus, I encountered friendly people who were eager to talk and who could distinguish between us and our government's policies.

I expected to like the food, because it is Mediterranean. That was true, except when I was offered various kinds of olives, cucumbers and hummus on my morning pita bread. A little of that goes a long way. The wonderful fruits included oranges, tamarind, kiwi, apples and bananas, and there are kiosks everywhere selling fruit smoothies -- freshly squeezed orange juice with ice cream in it, which is really terrific on hot days.

I was anxious about danger. In fact, my biggest insecurities were at checkpoints with Israeli soldiers or dealing with airport security in Tel Aviv. There are a lot of guns in evidence in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Syria and Lebanon, but it seemed unthreatening and more a form of state-sponsored employment for males.

I expected all Arabic women to wear closely fitting headdresses, the chador, and long-fitted coats to hide their bodies and dresses. I saw that the option to cover up is strictly a woman's personal preference, and many younger women wear a chador with skin tight jeans and stiletto sandals.

I believed things would be relatively bucolic. But major cities, such as Beirut and Damascus, are very cosmopolitan, with museums, clubs and restaurants interspersed with amazing Roman ruins, reflecting their 6,000-year history as the cradle of civilization.

I expected members of Hamas in the Palestinian territories and Hezbollah in Lebanon to be aloof, unresponsive, uncommunicative soldiers. I learned that the newly elected Hamas party is proud of its service to the Palestinian people during the last 20 years, including building schools and providing health clinics for Palestinians in and out of the camps. The long-ruling Fatah party is perceived rather universally as being corrupt and having done little for the average person.

And I came to believe that Hamas is willing to enter into a peaceful coexistence with Israel, once Israel stops occupying Palestinian land. Hamas wants a return to the pre-1967 war borders with Israel, while Israel is building a 29-foot tall wall of concrete, cutting through the West Bank and into Arab-owned land. We travelers found that to be in direct conflict with United Nations resolutions and against the wishes both of the U.S. and the European Union. Nevertheless, Israel presses on.

I considered that America was an interested bystander in all of this. I discovered that nearly everyone in the region -- from politicians, the British ambassador to Syria, shop keepers, Bedouin goat herders, travel agency owners and Bir Zeit University students -- believes that America is the largest variable in the Middle East conflict. Every Arab to whom we spoke believes that the United States unduly supports Israel to the detriment of everyone else, and they do not understand why. Their wish is that we use our clout to bring about a fair and just two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict, and soon. The Palestinians have been in this situation for almost 60 years, and their patience is understandably worn thin.

More than anything, after a month of talking to all kinds of people in and out of each country's government, I am amazed and startled by the influence the U.S. has in the region. That regular people, such as us, were received by people at the highest levels of government says a lot about their regard for the U.S. Such high regard convinces me that our negotiators can, and should, step up their pace to bring about a settlement to the conflict that is seen to be fair to both parties and, in so doing, helps restore a positive American image in the Middle East.

LINDA FIGUEROA of Carlisle was part of a recent study tour of Israel, the Palestinian territories, Syria and Lebanon that focused on the status and treatment of the Palestinians.
Section: Review & Opinion
Edition: FINAL