[senior citizen]

...................

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

For those concerned about the situation in the Middle East, below are two recent posts from a young friend/neighbor who is Vice Consul in Jerusalem. She graduated Georgetown University in D.C,. then completed further studies in Syria (of all places), Jordan, Egypt at American University......smart gal.
She's FLUENT IN ARABIC.

A natural strawberry blonde Irish Catholic heritage 29 year old. We did worry about her when she was in Nigeria & terror attacks were happening nearby.

Her first post was as Vice Consul in Lagos Nigeria, American Consulate.....interviewing Nigerians who were seeking visas to come to America.

Now, Jerusalem since last year.

Our small town Vermont "kids" all accomplish much after college, plus all have that wander lust to see the world..........she's been all over the mideast, China, etc., etc., Slavic countries, etc.

Was our newspaper girl at age 11, a girl scout & later camp counselor.......100% American gal.....now in that turmoil of the middle east.

She always downplays any potential danger.

July 10:
Crazy day here. I'm safe and fine in Jerusalem, thanks to those who have asked, though the situation is neither fine nor safe for those in Gaza. My day began with a work meeting in Tel Aviv, during which a rocket landed in the sea next to the building where i was, and we heard several air raid sirens. The day ended with a serene Iftar in Qalqilya, the West Bank, with deaf Palestinian women. Unable to communicate with words, we bonded over photos of our cats on our phones and no one mentioned the security situation.


ok, so that actually was the air raid siren, unless the entire city is listening to indie techno synthesizer music (a la my status two weeks ago). I'm safe and fine... but there's a lot going on here right now.

Great that you are posting messages from someone actually there in Jerusalem.

Personally, I feel with so many scared places to three religions so close together in Jerusalem that this area will never find peace. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/p...-peace-process

[Bonanza]

If you receive more messagges, I hope you will share them with us.

[Blessed2BNTV]

Thanks Senior. We must pray for all in that region.

[senior citizen]

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[Bogie Shooter]

Latest..........Hamas rejects cease fire.

[scarecrow1]

Unfortunately it is what it is. Has been going on for centuries...

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by scarecrow1

Unfortunately it is what it is. Has been going on for centuries...

What is going on over there right now is NOT
the same as what has been going on for centuries!

[billethkid]

Originally Posted by scarecrow1

Unfortunately it is what it is. Has been going on for centuries...

This is a fact of their lives. And we think our diplomacy and words and back stroking are going to make a difference.

We haven't and we won't.

[buggyone]

Originally Posted by billethkid

This is a fact of their lives. And we think our diplomacy and words and back stroking are going to make a difference.

We haven't and we won't.

You are right. A cease fire will work for a while and then it (literally) blows up again. The US should not be involved with either side no matter which political party is in charge of the White House.

"What is going on over there right now is NOT
the same as what has been going on for centuries!"

Yes, it is - except with rockets and bombs.

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Latest..........Hamas rejects cease fire.

Why ?????

[graciegirl]

///

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I don't have any view on this other than I can't watch it on TV. It is horrible to see. I know that Palestinians killed three young boys and Israel retaliated. Then the Israeli's badly beat another young Muslim boy who was visiting from Florida.

The Palestinians feel that Israeli's took their land. Is that correct?

Are there economic or other factors in this fight?

I personally KNOW many, many, many, Jewish people and they have been my friends, close friends. I am very afraid of radical Islamics, but the ordinary Muslims I have met, I don't know well... but I dislike the way that women aren't considered equal.

People who I respect on this forum, how do you feel? Who is right and who is wrong in THIS situation? War is HELL.

I have known a number of Muslims. My former girlfriend Jennifer V. (U of MN Law School Class of 1990) had some classes at the U of MN Law School with now US Congressman for MN Keith Ellison http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Ellison. He is a Muslim and she seemed to think he was OK but even back then was incredibly ambitious. I think she said he wanted to be a US Supreme Court Justice. It did not make much difference to anyone if he was a Lutheran, Catholic, Wiccan, etc, at that time.

There were a number of Muslims at the University of Denver who I knew through Mahmood a friend of mine at that time from the U of Mosul Library in Iraq. This was 1983-1984. He became more and more radicalized as the Iran-Iraq War dragged on. His group of Muslim friends at the University of Denver were all different mainly because each seemed to be from different Middle Eastern countries. Some let you meet their wives, some kept their wives in another room at all times like my friend Mahmood from Iraq.

I recall Mahmood was deeply offended when I mentioned some article I had read in Playboy. He went on and on about how the West treated women and the like. He did not care for much of the television shows of that 1983-1984 US season either.

Seeing people killed or having relatives killed probably can radicalize the most gentle of souls like Mahmood.

Not sure anyone is really right in the violence in the Jerusalem/Gaza strip fight which involves economics/history/religion/psychology/sociology etc.

[Taltarzac725]

What to do? What can be done? | Jerusalem Post - Blogs

If you are looking for insight into what is happening now in Jerusalem/Gaza this looks like a good place.

[karostay]

Sad to say this region of the world has thrown sticks an stones at each other for centuries

Now they throw bombs and bullets it will never change they are so deeply embedded in their beliefs to ever co exist .