Unusual Optimism

We spent some time in Bethlehem with Zoughbi Zoughbi, Director of Wi'am, the Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center, which, I think, was the high point of the SMU course for many of the students. If one had not heard Zoughbi speak about the larger Israel/Palestine conflict before, it might have been hard to pick up, but I heard what came across as optimism when I asked him about the progress Hamas and Fatah are making toward reconciliation. As a politician he is an independent, so he isn't aligned with either party, but his optimism came from his sense that the Palestinian people, the constituents of both parties, have become fed up with things at a level that is even greater than in the past. Their frustration is pushing the political parties to behave differently, at least in Zoughbi's opinion, and that may lead to some real change on the Palestinian side of the border. His optimism did not extend to the Israeli government. However, several of the Israeli academics and conflict resolution professionals we met with on that side of the border indicated a similar discontent among the Israeli public at large, particularly younger Israeli citizens, so maybe there really is room for optimism. I cling to the belief that a true resolution is not possible in my lifetime, but even settlement of some of the more pressing issues would change the dynamic greatly.