The Violet Underground Video Blog: #6.2

Tired of my own antics as a couch-bound talking head, I have vowed to offer a new take on my video blogs. No longer content to sit by and watch, in my video blog, I'll tackle everything including entertainment, politics and social activism.

No subject is off limits, and I promise to deliver the experience through the violet lens of a candid out lesbian with my newly named video blog series The Violet Underground.

This week, Jill tackles another light subject...the Israeli / Palestinian conflict with her friend in the film business, Debra Miller. Why was the Jewish state created? The ladies discuss the origins of the state and how the conflict progressed.

But before we get to her video, here's a letter from Jill regarding the conflict:

Opinions.

Everyone has 'em...everyone has a right to their own. As a part of my vlog, I share mine with the world, popular or unpopular as they may be. I've learned some pretty tough lessons about being so open and forthcoming with some of my viewpoints. That's the danger and reward in opening up parts of your life to the internet -- sharing yourself with a bunch of strangers who will then celebrate or demonize you on a weekly basis depending on whether you've confirmed or offended their sensibilities.

I tackled a subject this week that I knew would cause a stir. The conflict in the Middle East isn't easy to discuss. There are strong opinions on both sides and many in the middle feel too disconnected or uneducated to participate. I presented my viewpoint as a means to an end, which was getting a discussion going and counter-balancing what I believe to be a very short sided and biased media representation of what is going on.

In no way does that justify the civilian deaths in the disputed territories...and it certainly doesn't mean that I believe that Israel is blameless in this conflict, or that massive mistakes haven't been made. It means that we must look at the full history preceding this event and not myopically at the current situation.

Which leads me back to my vlog...my opinion is that Israel has a right to defend herself. What is not an opinion is that Israel has been continuously attacked since 1948 both in declared war and in the thousands of terrorist attacks, missile launches and suicide bombings that have never completely stopped despite the formal presence of cease fires and peace accords.

It is not an opinion that Hamas (the democratically elected head of the Palestinian people), Hezbollah and the P.L.O. have all formally called for the destruction of the Jewish state; it is written in their charters.

My main point in the vlog was to point out one thing - it is my opinion that peace will never be possible if one side will never accept Israel as a legitimate state; that despite the offensive going on now, Israel has on numerous occasions accepted a two-state solution, and yet the attacks continue. This to me doesn't seem like a fight about size or borders, but a fight about existence. There is an excellent article on this from the Wall Street Journalthat discusses this in depth...

My heart goes out to the Arabs in the territories caught in the middle. My question is, where are their brothers? Why haven't other Arab states come to their aid offering citizenship or amnesty? Israel took in every Jewish refugee when the surrounding Arab states expelled them after 1948...I just have to wonder if maybe certain leaders don't leave them there as a open wound, a symbol of Jewish oppression used to ignite hatred and intolerance.

There are no easy answers. I know nothing is black and white. War is never ideal and should always be the last resort. I don't know if Israel's action was the absolute right thing to do (despite having been attacked first) and my heart breaks for the innocents who have been killed and injured as a result...but I have to ask this:

Exactly when would Israel be justified in protecting itself with military force in the eyes of the world?

Will it take a nuclear assault? A terrorist attack the size of 9/11? How about another multi-nation attack similar to the War of Independence, the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War?

Or maybe the Jews just don't have the right to be there at all, which is the opinion of many in this world.
Let's keep the dialogue going, keep talking and keep communicating with each other despite our differences. We don't have to agree to be connected to one another-- we are already. We just have to agree to leave each other in peace. That should be lesson for everyone involved.

Missed the last The Violet Underground? Watch it here.