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Kaitlyn Hao

8/23/13
Adv. Composition

War Torn Neighbors
A little girl skips down the street, glowing with excitement for her best friends birthday
party. With two innocent pigtails and wide, enthusiastic eyes, she could be any girl around the
world. Further examination proves this to be wrong. Up along the streets, soldiers march crisply,
hands clutched around steel guns. They are stationed for protection, but their presence brings an
aura of fear. Even as a young as eight, she knows to evade downtown and watch the faces of
strangers. As her mother had warned, Palestinian terrorists could be hiding anywhere, armed
with bombs and guns to harm the Jews. Any second now, the buses gliding smoothly over the
roads could explode into a mushroom of fire and destruction. Her life was not in her control
anymore; rather, she never knew what peril would leap out of hiding. Coming upon a
McDonalds, she gazes at the line of people waiting to be searched. Metal detectors and more
soldiers stood guard at the entrance of each public area. Living here, her safety was a lottery. She
could only hope she wasnt chosen for danger.
Merely ten minutes away, another girl has been waiting for two hours at the checkpoint.
Even though she went through these checkpoints daily, the soldiers still insisted on searching and
analyzing her. Leaving at 6:30am, she rarely got to school before 9am. These checkpoints
limited travel for work, school, and even medical assistance. Many times before, even an
ambulance with a dying patient was sent to the back of the line. Living on opposite sides of the
gate, she would never come to know a grandmothers soft embrace. As a Palestinian, her family
barely scraped by living in a refugee camp along the borders of Israel. Although her parents tried
to hide the struggle from her and her sisters, late at night she could hear them bickering about
their poor finances. The unpredictable curfews put even more strain on their already difficult
Kaitlyn Hao
8/23/13
Adv. Composition

lives. Whenever the Israeli soldiers felt like it, they could restrict Palestinians from leaving their
homes. The soldiers terrified her the most. Everywhere she went, she saw them, eyeing
Palestinians with hate. Living under oppression, all she longed for was freedom.
This is a war, but there is no victory. It doesnt matter who is declared the winner; both
sides will have lost irreplaceable lives and be surrounded by sorrow and terror. For over sixty
gruesome years, Israelis and Palestinians have battled for land both countries say is rightfully
theirs. Because of countless misunderstandings, both sides are filled with hatred for the opposing
people. The groups have completely opposite opinions, which make the situation seem
complicated and impossible to solve. Violence became a major player in the conflict, leading to
an endless cycle of hatred, harm, and suspicion. Many prepositions for peace have been brought
up, but each has its strengths and weaknesses. Out of all the suggestions, I believe the most
effective solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to establish one democratic, secular state.
The Jewish people originally lived in the land that their God had promised them would be
theirs. However, the Romans conquered it and forced the Jews to evacuate. Later, Arabs invaded
Rome and dominated the land. The Arabs ruled for almost 2,000 years, and even though the Jews
were never in power, they were allowed to live peacefully among the Muslims. The Israeli
people are mostly Jewish, while the Palestinians are mostly Muslim. Both religions have their
holy sites in the city of Jerusalem. After the Holocaust, many Jews were looking for a haven to
call home. The connection they had to the land where Palestinians were living made it a great
candidate. In 1947, the United Nations decided to interfere. They gave Jews the land of
Palestine, without the permission of the Palestinians already living there. The Palestinians tried
to put up a fight, but the Israelis, with assistance from the US, defeated Palestine and secured the
Kaitlyn Hao
8/23/13
Adv. Composition

borders. During the war of 1947-1949, Israel conquered 78% of Palestine, causing many
Palestinians to flee. A six day war in 1967 was once again won by the Israelites, in which they
took over the Gaza Strip and West Bank. To this day, the West Bank is not officially part of
Israel but is still under Israeli occupation. The Gaza Strip is supposedly free, but the Israeli
government still touches the lives of those living there. Currently, the Palestinians live oppressed
under Israeli rule, with the Israeli people under the threat of terrorism. Desperate for their rights,
the Palestinians elected a terrorist group called Hamas into leadership. This group encourages
suicide bombers and missiles sent into Jewish land. For this reason, the US strongly sides with
Israel, giving them $8.5 million in foreign aid a day. In fact, Israel is the number one recipient of
US foreign aid. Bonded under loathing, the two groups are neighbors that cannot live alongside
each other. As Jewish Voice for Peace stated, A group of refugees found a much needed home,
but in the process, another group of refugees was formed.
To begin, a secular, democratic government is one that can listen to the thoughts of both
peoples without bias and use their viewpoints to make judgments that appease everyone. With a
country that does not favor one religion over another, this makes for an equal playing ground for
all groups involved. Since about 20% of Israels population is Muslim, and 5% are of other
religions, it does not make sense for laws to be made favoring only the Jews of the country. By
allowing freedom of religion, each side can learn more about the other. This increases respect
and understanding for each other, so one day the two enemies can become friends. Barring the
two groups from meeting and strong bias can only lead to more quarreling and damage. Like it is
here in the US, a mix of cultures and ideas will enrich Israel and help the country to prosper. By
having a secular state, a person is not Jewish or Palestinian, but a proud citizen of Israel.
Kaitlyn Hao
8/23/13
Adv. Composition

Removing the labels, everybody is alike underneath. Also, a democratic government makes sure
that everybodys voice is being heard. Listening to the thoughts of both sides, the people have a
chance to make sure that their country is a place of security and impartiality. However, there is a
flaw to this logic. If all the Palestinian refugees were to return, and their birth rate continues to
increase at the same rate, very soon the Palestinian people will outnumber the Jews. This may
cause prejudice in the government. To solve this dilemma, I suggest that Israel be ruled by one
Israeli leader and one Palestinian leader. Furthermore, the government officials should be split
equally to make sure no one side overpowers the other. This, I believe, will bring the greatest
amount of stability to Israel.
In addition, sharing the country with the Jews is the closest Palestinians will get to
possessing as much of their land back as possible. Since the UN did give away Palestines land
without their consent, I understand how they desire to regain rule. Yet, they cannot drive the
Jews away from their land. In many ways, both groups of people are quite similar. Throughout
the centuries, the two groups have faced persecution, invasion, and hatred, with no place to call
home. After the Jews have finally reached the Promised Land, they would not easily give up
their control. To the Jewish people, this has been their home for the last 60 years. To solve this
predicament and have a chance for Palestine to reclaim all their land, there are only three
solutions. One group of people can leave Israel and resettle, which neither side will willingly do.
Moreover, that would disrupt millions of lives, and cause the economy to drop drastically.
Another resolution would be to go into war once more and duel each other for possession. Once
again, this would cause the loss of innumerable lives, property, and money while plunging the
region into tumultuous battle. Even after all this effort, there is little chance any side will still
Kaitlyn Hao
8/23/13
Adv. Composition

retain all the land. The final solution would be to have both peoples share Israel. While this may
cause confusion and protest, it is the way with the least bloodshed and most favorable results.
Likewise, living together under one government will also satisfy the Israelis wanting to
be near the Holy Land. Since each side claims that God gave the land to them, why not share it
among themselves? After all, the Jews cannot simply come into Palestine, declare it is their
country and force the ones already living there out. By living side by side with Palestinians, they
both have access to their holy sites. In this way, the Jewish people will have found a home.
While the Jews want a country where all and only Jewish people are welcome, I suppose it isnt
too much to ask them to also compromise. To figure out an answer to this perplexing question,
both sides must give up a desire to achieve harmony. If and only both sides set aside their
differences and put their heads together for the future of their people can the animosity end.
Once order is restored, Israel can continue to build a path of success.
Based on my research and the above reasons, I think a united, democratic government
independent from religion is the most effective answer to this challenge by preventing the most
violence and taking to consideration the opinions of both Israelis and Palestinians. A person,
especially a child, should never have to regard terrorism, suicide, invasion of privacy,
oppression, and fear of death as normal. Its ironic how in the most holy place of many major
religions, brutality and panic are intertwined in daily life. As time progresses on, more and more
lives will be taken unless action is taken. Although this conflict is not as commonly known as
others, it is crucial to solve. Once again, I strongly encourage Israel to consider becoming a
secular state or at least propose a solution. No matter what solution is put to use in the end,
Palestinians and Israelis should both be treated with love and respect. Maybe one day, a
Kaitlyn Hao
8/23/13
Adv. Composition

Palestinian boy will be allowed to visit his grandparents. Perhaps, Palestinians and Jews can even
live right next door, and invite each other over for dinner. If I were to walk into a school in
Israel, I would know peace has prevailed when a Jewish girl is giggling and sharing secrets with
her Palestinian best friend. Brick by brick, the barriers must be destroyed. Until the checkpoints
and hatred are knocked down, justice will not be achieved in Israel.


Kaitlyn Hao
8/23/13
Adv. Composition

Works Cited
Gottfried, Ted. The Israelis and Palestinians: Small Steps to Peace. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook,
2000. Print.
"Israel/Palestine 101." Jewish Voice for Peace. Jewish Voice for Peace, n.d. Web. 08 July 2013.
"Karbala: City of Martyrs." Channel 4. Channel 4, 2013. Web. 10 July 2013.
"A Synopsis of The Israel/Palestine Conflict." If Americans Knew. If Americans Knew, n.d.
Web. 10 July 2013.

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