Guest Post: 10 years after Birthright, Mission Gives Deeper Perspective
Jeff Shineloft
by Jeff Shineloft
Almost 10 years after my first trip to Israel I had the opportunity to return through my participation in the Canada-Israel Committee Local Advocacy Training Mission to Israel. The Mission was well organized and highly professional and enhanced my passion for Israel.
During the course of the mission, we learned about Israel’s geographical realities that make it vulnerable to terror attacks from hostile factions in both Gaza and the West Bank.
Sderot is a painful example of the horrible consequences of the usage of proximate lands as a springboard for terror. Seeing a large concrete bomb shelter next to where the children played was heartbreaking. Since 2001 thousands of missiles have been fired on Sderot from Gaza. The damage of these attacks has to be measured not only by loss of life but by the terrible damage to Sderot’s infrastructure and the trauma suffered by its citizens.
Like any other responsible country would do, Israel has taken a number of measures to ensure safety for her citizens. One is the construction of a security barrier that separates the disputed territories from Israel. In constructing the barrier great care was taken to ensure that the least interruption would be caused to both Palestinian and Israeli life while ensuring safety from terror attacks.
One of the most pressing issues facing Israel is how to balance its security needs with humanitarian concerns, taking into account the needs of those most affected by the fence. The issue of safeguarding Palestinian rights falls under the auspices of Israel’s Supreme Court, which allows applications from people who are not citizens of Israel, a true hallmark of a free and democratic country.
Israel’s commitment to the rights of others is further illustrated by its policy of making it possible for other faiths to utilize religious sites. Israel’s decision to leave the Temple Mount in the control of the Wakf is a historic commitment to broad access.
Among those who spoke to our group were two speakers from the Arab world. Bassem Eid, a senior field researcher for B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights, told us that the Palestinian people are “experts in losing opportunities.” He posited that Hamas was being operated by Iranian remote control, and explained how a massive fracture between Hamas and Fatah, has resulted in the absence of a single representative voice. Abu Toameh, an award-winning Arab journalist who specializes in covering Palestinian affairs, told us that it is not possible for Israel to negotiate peace a regime that believes Jewish people cannot be trusted.
A key element of any successful negotiation is to have all decision makers at the table. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Israeli and Palestinian situation, there is no
Palestinian entity that can deliver on the terms (security) of any agreement. These facts make arriving at a binding peace agreement extremely difficult.
Ido Aharoni, from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led a session on what has become known as Israel Branding. The Israeli government has come to understand the importance of presenting the real face of Israel to the world – one that contradicts a widespread perception of the country as a war-torn concrete jungle. Those involved in Israel advocacy are devising innovative public relation campaigns that present Israel as a thriving democracy and multicultural society based on passion, ingenuity, and fusion, with the hope that Israel’s actions to defend herself will be seen in that context.
From the lush green valleys of the Golan Heights, to the beauty of the Negev desert, from the booming metropolis of Tel Aviv to the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel is majestic. We came away feeling that Israel, like Canada, is a vibrant democracy with the right to protect its existence in a free and secure manner.
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