First Impressions

2006-06-12T03:17:00.000-07:00

Note: I have created this blog with the intentions of sharing my thoughts, and I hope to be quite open about them. I would appreciate hearing your perspective on some of the issues I discuss, so please post responses.

I arrived in Israel last Friday full of anticipation and anxiety. Of course my mother, like any mother, was nervous about my trip to the Middle East, so I had to play it cool, pretend like I was not worried about the tensions so she couldn't convince me not to come. I really don't think that would have happened, but now that I'm here and attacks seem to be escalating, my nerves are a bit unsettled.

Yesterday was the first day in the office. For those of you who are unfamiliar with life in the Middle East, the work week begins on Sunday and ends on Thursday. The bosses tried to emphasize our need for caution. Case in point: The other day a student visited an area outside of Israeli control and was kidnapped. Luckily he was an American and was not abducted by a terrorist organization without regard for the might of the United States, and once his identity as a U.S. citizen was confirmed, he was released. I don't know that I've ever felt more relieved to hold a piece of documentation.

Of course the situation does not consist exclusively of attacks by the Palestinians against Jews. I'm sure you've heard about the killing of al-Zarkawi and the killing of a leader of the Palestinian Revolutionary Committee (PRC), which attacked an American convoy in 2003 and serves as Hamas' private militia. The Americans took credit for the first attack, and the Israelis claim that the second was a coincidence, that the base was being targeted not the leader. A tragic killing occurred on the beach in Gaza, where it appears that a stray Israeli shell misfired. (The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) statement on this shelling has yet to be released.) The retaliation from the Palestinians has started in full force, however, as 54 rockets have been launched against Sderot from Gaza since Friday.

It is difficult to objectively dissect the media here, and so I will attempt not to do so at the current time. All media here appears to be wholly biased and often factually incorrect. It is difficult to know which sources are reliable around the world, but particularly here in the Middle East.

Basically, my first impressions have given me reason to be constantly alert. Alert to not only potential physical danger I might find myself in, but also alert to the biases of the media.

Reflections on Summer-ing in Israel

First Impressions