Metropol

I'm just being populist by trying to draw people in with a Peep Show reference. Anyway, to the topic at hand.

I never actually bothered to form an opinion on the Israel/Palestine thing because I felt it could never do justice to the big mess it all seems to be. "Working" in a university I see a LOT of first year students joining the anti-israel/pro palestine (it seems to be equally divided) side and I do have to wonder if they gave it the slightest bit of critical analysis or just went along with the crowd.

Now, how do you get a handle on this sort of thing? I keep telling my Palestinian friend that I won't go to his events because I don't think it's any way to get a fair idea of the situation and I don't want to tacitly support one side until I've made up my mind. That and they all sound incredibly tedious.

SO, my question to Metropollers this sunday is: has anyone picked a side, and if so, why did you pick that one and where did you get your facts? I'd quite like to work out a position but have no idea where to start such is the gigantic mess. I feel compelled to blame Britain. It's the sort of thing we create.

I think the point ultimately is that both sides are to blame in one way or another. There is blood on everyone's hands. I feel sorry for ordinary Palestinians - particularly those in the Gaza strip, who are living in terrible conditions thanks to an Israeli blockade. Yet I also feel sorry for ordinary Israelis - like those near the Gaza border who have to deal with rockets being fired into their towns, schools and homes every day. I regret the fact that Palestinians don't have a state of their own. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be denied that status. But I also regret the fact that the security situation in Israel is so dire. I cannot imagine what it would be like to live in perpetual fear of terrorist attack.

There are moderates on both sides of this conflict. They are, I suspect, a silent majority. These are people who, whether they are Israeli or Palestinian, simply want normality. They want to be safe. They want to be able to have a decent job which they can travel to without being stuck at checkpoints to cross a spurious border. They want to be able to send their kids to school without fear of it being blown up. The fruits of prosperity are denied to both Palestinians and Israelis - particularly when they end up dead because of a targeted missile strike or an indiscriminate bombing of a cafe or bus. If I am on anybody's side, my support goes to those who call for peace.