Emerson Brooking | Straddling the middle of Mideast divide

When I was in elementary school, my Sunday school teacher would always close with a heartfelt prayer for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Although I was too young to understand the complicated origins of their peoples' conflict, I knew enough to hope that their leaders could come to an agreement that might end the litany of suicide bomb attacks and retaliatory strikes that haunted the evening news.

Years later, I still can't claim to understand how these two peoples can allow such resentment, no matter how deep and long-lasting, to destroy lives and livelihoods continually - and how the prospect of peace, often distant, has drifted even further out of reach.

On and off Penn's campus, it has become impossible to escape the consequences of the latest turn in Israeli-Palestinian relations. The Israeli Defense Force's three-week offensive into Hamas-occupied Gaza has dominated headlines across the globe. Sentiment both against and in support of Israel's actions has grown steadily fiercer as more people claim sides in the conflict. While Penn has always enjoyed an active Jewish community, recent debates have revealed a vast and unfaltering Israeli leaning among much of the student body. And I'm not sure it does us many favors.

This notion manifested itself last Tuesday with an e-mail I received from the Penn Democrats advertising a Thursday rally "in support of Israel's right to exist in peace." It made no mention of a similar Palestinian effort, although such a rally was scheduled. An Arab member of the group promptly shot back across the listserv, "When did it become Democratic values to cheerlead wholesale killing? Do it on your own, not in our names."

I attended both rallies that Thursday. Amidst flurries and frigid winds, a long column of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched silently down Locust Walk while the swell of pro-Israeli demonstrators congregated on College Green to hear speeches in defense of their cause. Aseel Moosa, Wharton junior and co-president of the Penn Arab Student Society, said the pro-Palestine position was within the minority on Penn's campus, and that Penn's large Jewish population and influence made it more difficult to voice opposition to Israel's actions.

I also spoke with Brandon Paroly, College senior and president of the Penn Israel Coalition. He agreed that pro-Palestine voices were outweighed by the strong Jewish presence on campus. When I asked him more about his own stance, he said that he supported Israel's right to defend itself, but conceded that "it's difficult to argue with people losing their livelihoods and families."

In that point, he voiced a very real reality. According to U.N. reports, the combined Israeli and Palestinian death toll from the Gaza offensive as of Monday stood at 1,313. Of these, 517 were women and children. The injured stood at over 5,000, with women and children comprising half their number. These are difficult figures to fathom - and even harder ones to defend.

It is here that unconditional loyalty to Israel enters dangerous territory. As a Penn student without personal stake in the conflict, I find myself divided. I believe that Hamas is a terrorist organization and that Israel has a right to defend itself from attack. I know that Hamas uses civilians as human shields and that Israel has no intention of prosecuting "genocide" in the Middle East. But I still can't understand why the IDF has killed or maimed more than one civilian per enemy combatant, nor why reports are circulating of IDF tanks firing on surrendering families or leveling combatant-free schoolhouses.

To me, these numbers and first-hand accounts make unconditional support of Israel untenable. In a conflict as complex as this one, it's easy to be swept to one side of the stark divide between the pro-Israeli and Palestinian columns. I may be a supporter of Israel, but I also believe that Israel's handling of the Gaza offensive has wronged the Palestinian people. While many at Penn are predisposed, through religion and upbringing, to support Israel, all should recognize that criticizing Israel's conduct in wartime is by no means tantamount to questioning its right to exist. In a debate as crucial as this one, all sides must be heard and respected.

Emerson Brooking is a College sophomore from Turnerville, Ga. Southern Comfort appears on alternating Wednesdays. His email address is brooking@dailypennsylvanian.com

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