I am tired. You must be tired, too. I no longer feel the need to defend Israel as I once did. I do, however, feel the need to explain Israel, to discuss it. Moreover, I feel the need for respect. Have we lost all respect for each other?

I am an individual. I have my own opinions and ideas. Though I am proudly a part of the Student Alliance For Israel, I am not speaking for SAFI now. I am speaking for myself.

One can take any country and see their faults. Israel is far from perfect; show me an even close to perfect country! Then go at it from all sides, attempt to run it into the sea and terrorize its citizens daily from day one. But I regress.

There are so many incredible facets of Israel. The state in itself is a monumental achievement. Since when is a person or group of people taking pride in a country pathetic? Since when is celebrating the achievements and culture of a country close to my heart and the hearts of so many a cover-up for something else? I suppose one may see it as a public relations move; I see it as sharing information and ideas of a place that promotes tolerance and education and amity.

Many UMass students take pride in the countless aspects of Israel. In a survey conducted on our own in a few of the dormitories, over one thousand UMass students support Israel. Perhaps SAFI, those one thousand students or myself are not being clear. Israel is not just a bunch of facts tossed out and then some counter-facts tossed back.

Israel has to be explained. It takes time to understand it, but no time at all if you see it for yourself.

Okay, forget numbers for a minute. Forget about ceasefires and 1967 and the Oslo Accords.

We have two peoples, who long for security. Life. Recognition. Trust. Mix in retaliation, miscommunication, terrorists, innocent civilians and corruption.

Let’s talk about one of the two peoples for a minute. Strong, desperate, proud and waiting. Israeli’s? Well yes, but this time, I was also referring to the Palestinians.

My freshman year, my best friend was a Palestinian. Many didn’t understand. Just thinking about the looks we got from both some of his friends and some of my friends makes me tear. A pro-Israel girl and a Palestinian guy. We had everything in common. We forgot about numbers and technicalities when we were together. We had in common, friends, school, inside jokes and hopes for peace.

I miss him. His girlfriend disapproved of our friendship, so we slowly drifted apart. I miss him, but more than him, I miss our talks about the conflict. I miss that after we talked we’d hug, laugh or go catch lunch.

My old friend understood my pride in my culture, my pride in Israel, because he had the same pride in his own culture, and I understood that.

There is the respect. It would be an honor to read an editorial that did not mention Israel, but the pride of a people, a culture and a history.

We are a microcosm of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Those who oppose certain actions of the Israeli government have every right; that is fair and democratic. I even guarantee there would be Israelis who would agree with you. The real Israel is not what you see in the news. There are so many aspects of Israel to be celebrated. So celebrate the Palestinian people. Don’t define them in terms of Israel. In that way, you de-legitimize them.

As an individual and one of the Vice President’s of SAFI, I have a hope for peace. I’d like it to start on this campus. I’d like it to begin with respect. I will continue to celebrate Israel, but wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate the hope of peace together?

Robyn Brooks is a UMass student.