“If the alarm sounds, run to the basement,” my father told me before bed in my grandmother’s apartment in Ashqelon, Israel – located fifteen minutes from Gaza.

I didn’t feel scared, though. I knew I was in a war state. Since its inception, Israel has been fighting with its neighbors over a land the size of New Jersey and an ideological following of less than fifteen million. I know what it is like to feel the ground shake and to see the ditches made by Qassam rockets.

But I also know what it is like to have the luxury of the world’s best Air Force take out the terrorist insurgents. In other words, I am protected. The Palestinians – on the other hand – are not.

I’ve heard comments such as “the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) is a terrorist organization;” seen posters that equate the Nazi Swastika with the Jewish Star of David; seen bumper stickers with “End the Occupation” and “Free Palestine.”

I always had one question for them: have any of you ever been to the Middle East? I have yet to meet someone who has. In reality, the IDF is the only organization with the nerve to fight terrorism the harsh way. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. Yes, Israel gets a lot of criticism for killing terrorist arm dealers in foreign nations, but it is also one of the reasons why jets don’t get hijacked and smashed into buildings so easily.

Still, the situation for the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank is deteriorating to the point of no return. Palestinians are living under deplorable circumstances. Their land is underdeveloped, their education system is virtually non-existent, their homes are tiny boxes made from scrap material, and the people live in constant fear of Hamas (the terrorist organization which controls Gaza) and bombing runs by the IDF.

Through fear, propaganda and brainwashing, it should be no surprise why there is so much hatred in the region.

The Middle East conflict is complicated. It is a history rich with triumph, failure, confusion, and culture. I will try to just give a taste of how things are and spare you the religious rhetoric as a self-identifying secular-Israeli. In dealing with social issues, we have to look at how they arose.

Long before the Holocaust, Palestine was occupied under the British Empire. In the early 20th century, the Zionist movement, a movement to return Jews to the “homeland,” began. Both Jews and Palestinians formed alliances to take care of the land. Then the Holocaust wiped out six million Jews – as well five million others – and another calling to return to the biblical Israel ensued. Once there, Jews and Palestinians fought against a common enemy: the British Empire. In 1948 Israel gained independence. That very day, the surrounding Arab nations declared war on the State of Israel. The war still rages.

This is where it gets complicated, so here’s a little secret that many do not know: the Arab nations dislike the Palestinians as much as the Jews. Have you ever wondered how ridiculous it sounds that a few million people were blowing themselves up over a tiny piece of land when fellow worshippers of over 1.5 billion people had multiple, massive nations right next door? It’s because the Arab states don’t want Palestinians in their country.

Israel, too, is to blame. Before the reign of Prime Minister Golda Meir – who governed during the time of the Munich Massacre – Israel’s greatest general, Moshe Dayan, predicted rising tensions among the Jews and Arabs. He said: feed the Palestinians, clothe them, build their homes, and treat them as equals.

Golda Meir ignored him as she threw a huge terrorist blanket over the Palestinians. To put it into perspective, how many Americans felt towards Arabs after 9/11 is very similar to what a few Israeli government officials felt towards the Palestinians.

It is no surprise why so many children in Gaza hate Israel. They have no support, and Hamas teaches them Israel is evil. It is exactly how Al Qaeda brainwashes its adherents.

Imagine: your home and parents get bombed because a terrorist was building weapons there. A Hamas official tells you, “See, look what Israel did to your home!” Instead of, “Sorry for purposefully using your parents as civilian shields.” Are we so surprised then, why young teenagers become suicide bombers?

Israel is right to defend itself, but the innocent children have neither support from the United Nations nor any Arab state.

Settlements are a whole other issue. Personally, I despise the idea of them. If Israel wants peace, it needs to stop building those horrid settlements. There are plenty of beautiful apartments in Tel Aviv.

The U.S. and Israel need to assist the Palestinians in rebuilding their infrastructure. Build schools, build hospitals – Israel has some of the best medical technology in the world – develop the rich agriculture.

Unfortunately, Hamas gets in the way. When food shipments come in, Hamas takes them, hides them, and then blames Israel for not allowing food into the region – just like the corrupt Haitian government before and after the earthquake. We have to think long term.

Yes, all this will be extremely difficult, it might even seem impossible, to do this now. But we must start. Israeli children and Palestinian children go through the same thing every day: fear of dying. No person should live in fear. It is one of the things many Americans take for granted. Do not pick sides. Pick peace.

Roy Ribitzky is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].