Stop! in the name of love!!! please...

Will this violence ever end? I am writing this entry to open the discussion floor to my classmates and the world. I am seeking a solution to the evil that has enveloped the great (or not so great) world we live in. The main focus of my blogging this evening will be on the current conflict in the Middle East. If you look at a map of the world or a globe, you may conclude that the entire center of the world appears in a little area the size of New Jersey (but not actually NJ, I'm speaking of Israel). This stretch of land has become a topic of discussion for centuries, but the current conflict started with an agreement reached in 1948. This agreement arose after the 1948 War of Independence. Prior to this war, partition agreements were tried to be put in place so that Arabs and Jews would be able to co-exist peacefully. However, after acts of aggression, various groups of Arabs started riots and proceeded to try to blockade parts of Jewish territories. Long story short, Jews won the War of Independence and the then British territory declared Israel a Jewish state. Eventually, Arabs did not like this, so they attacked Israel again and again. In 1967, Israel defeated Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in the famed Six Day War. Again, in 1973, Israel was attacked by Egypt and Syria during the most holiest of holy days in the Jewish year, thus naming the war, the Yom Kippur War. Israel, was again victorious in this venture. As a result of these military victories, Israel was able to capture such land from Jordan, Syria, and Egypt as the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. These such areas have become to be known as the "Israeli-occupied-territories" until lately. In 2005, Israel decided to withdraw all of its citizens from these areas (that they won through victories) in order to try to maintain some sort of peace agreement. Throughout the last decades, we have all heard about "the conflict in the Middle East." So, we all know that things are happening that are less than ideal. What has been going on? Well, since 2005, Palestinians have launched over 8,000 rockets and other forms of missiles into Israel from the Gaza Strip. When a country sends that much firepower into a neighboring country without any retaliation from the other side, there needs to be something done. As a result of these missiles being launched up to 25 miles into Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces decided retaliation was necessary. I agree with the IDF in their decision to defend themselves. After a late December 2008 retaliation (in which I was in Israel when the retaliation began), global media latched onto this story and viciously reprimanded Israel for their actions. They believed that they were not being considerate for civilian lives because they were reading Palestinian reports of casualties. In any warzone, (not to mention one of the most densely populated areas in the world), there will be civilian casualties. But, were many of these casualties even "civilian?" To fully understand the situation, you must consider the parties involved. Hamas, the governing body in the Gaza Strip has been known to use questionable war tactics. Some of these tactics include dressing up as civilians and shooting rockets as "civilians." Also, the IDF has conclusive evidence that Hamas has launched rockets from hospitals as well as schools. So, when Israel (after dropping leaflets and informing the civilians about their plan of attack) bombs these launching pads, Hamas uses these images to their advantage with the world media. How would you fight this group of people? All I can say is that history tends to repeat itself. We need to find a solution to this very very complicated situation before entire races are wiped out. Ideally, co-existing is possible, we just need to find some way to accept that different groups are different. I would like to think that evil is learned and can be unlearned, but realistically, I cannot believe this. Other worldly conflicts such as the crises in Sudan, Sri Lanka, Columbia, and Pakistan have to be observed closely with open minds so that we do not let history repeat itself. I am afraid to witness another tragedy such as the Holocaust, but if we let conflicts go unnoticed, it is all too possible. I hope that this article does not come off as ignorant, but all I know is that I am trying to learn as much as I can before taking a stance about certain issues. I think that education is the greatest way that we can stop violence and promote peace in this crazy world. Read some!