Michigan communities grapple with the long history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
(CBS DETROIT) – Michigan is home to large populations that support the Israeli and Palestinian causes. To understand their differences, University of Michigan Professor John Ciorciari said we have to examine the long history of this conflict.
"Each chapter in that history helps us understand why good people can look at this problem from such different perspectives and feel earnestly they are on the right side of this," said Ciorciari, a professor of public policy.
He said understanding how this conflict came about means going back to at least the early 20th century.
"The complex history whereby Palestinians fled their homes, and Israel ultimately achieved statehood. The run-up to and the conduct of the wars in 1967. The Palestinian exodus in 1970. The surprise attack of the Yom Kippur war in 1973. The Israeli intervention in 1982. We could go on and on and on."
This history is why many may see the Hamas attack on Israel as blatant terrorism.
"This is about hate. This isn't two countries fighting over some land or fighting over natural resources. This is simply an act of terrorism," said Steven Ingber, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit
And their neighbor may see it as an outcome of historical oppression.
"The Israeli daily and around-the-clock bombardment of civilians, residents in Gaza, it's very appalling," said Imad Hamad, the executive director of the American Human Rights Council.
"It is understandable to me that some Palestinians regard those losses of civilian life as being in some way comparable to losses of civilian lives in Israel over the weekend. Numerically, that is true," said Ciorciari. "However, Israel has not at any point, to my knowledge, intervened in Gaza with the express intent of killing large numbers of civilians, independent of legitimate military targets."
In Michigan, individuals in both communities said they are horrified by the loss of civilian lives on both sides but know many more people will be killed in this conflict.
"I hurt for the people of Palestine, I hurt for them. They are individuals, human beings, just like that. And you know who is causing that, Hamas. Their leadership is forcing them to live the way that they live," said Ingber.
"I have many Jewish-American friends, and we interact, we engage. When it comes to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, we don't agree. We don't get eye to eye. I give them that. They have the right to be very passionate in support of Israel. They should give me the equal right of being passionate supporting Palestinian rights," said Hamad.
