Opinion: A Middle Ground & The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Jed Cosgrove

NEW YORK—It was a typical quarantine afternoon, and I was doing what all teenagers do: scroll through TikTok. While this may not have been the best way to spend my time, I came across one video that left me thinking for a while. The video consisted of a person changing their Instagram bio to “Free Palestine.” Raised in a Jewish, Zionist household and having been to Israel multiple times, I was frustrated to see this. I looked at the comment section of this post, hoping to see fellow Zionists vouching for Israel. To my surprise, I saw the creator of the post write exactly what I didn’t expect: the creator said they support a two-state solution. 

Wait, what?!

That doesn’t make sense – or does it? Many thoughts rushed through my head. But I was most shocked by how these two ideas which I thought were so separate, were not. I even realized that I somewhat agree to make Palestine independent, or at the very least, find some way to integrate them more into Israeli society. Thus, I was confused by why it was so triggering for me to hear someone say, “Free Palestine,” even when this person specified that they agreed with a two-state solution.   

I traced this concept back to my Jewish Day School. My teachers taught me a sugar-coated “tale” of Israel’s history that went something like this: “Jews went to Israel after the Holocaust because they had nowhere else to go. They decided to establish a state, but then the Arab nations surrounding them were upset, and there was a war, which Israel won! And now there’s peace! But sometimes the Palestinians get angry with Israel, which doesn’t make sense, since Israel treats them equally.”

Of course, later on, I learned that Israel had flaws and isn’t the perfect country I previously thought it was. I became more aware of the lack of rights and mistreatment Palestinians often face. I also agree - a two-state solution made sense. Still, the image put into my mind so many years ago has stuck with me. So, perhaps when I heard “Free Palestine,” I was brought back to elementary school when all I knew was that Israel was good and Palestine was bad. It was at that moment when I put it together that I, a Zionist, somewhat agreed to bring independence to Palestine. Ultimately, I was just phased by the phrase that I often heard that advocated against Israel and called for its destruction. 

I’d like to make something clear, though:  While I agree Palestine should be more independent, I do not support the Free Palestine Movement’s call for a destruction of Israel.

I realize that we need to take time to educate ourselves. We must call out others, and, most importantly, ourselves instead of making assumptions about the conflict.

But I was also confused about how I hadn’t realized this earlier. I came to the conclusion that it was because there are so few people working to create a middle ground.  The world is becoming more polarized, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no exception. Even though there are so many benefits to compromising, it is hard for anyone to take that first step. Thus, we must all be open to discussing, reflecting, apologizing, and forgiving - it’s the only way we’ll move forward.