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Prospects for Peaceful Israel-Palestine Relations

Conflict between Israel and Palestine has existed since the establishment of Israel as a state, with attempts at peace resolutions time and time again. Due to the stark religious, ethnic, and cultural divisions between Israelis and Palestinians in the region, there have been no sustainable resolutions to the conflict and the prospects of peace do not look promising in the near future. As long Israel refuses to end its occupation of Palestinian territories, conflict will not end. Hamas are not likely to end its attacks on Israel until its mission of liberation of Palestine is reached, and the Israeli Army is in turn not going to stop countering attacks. Outside actors also continue to perpetuate the conflict in support of Israel or Palestine, providing aid and resources.

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Water Diary

My average water footprint: 1,405 gallons/day, 9,835 gallons/week, and 1,971 m3/year.
A majority of my water footprint comes from virtual water use.
The US daily average is 1,802 gallons/day, so I fall below the average. It was difficult to do this task, as due to covid I feel that I do not have the normal water use that I would have had a year ago. Staying home, I think my water footprint has likely reduced over the last year.

US Average: 820,000 million m3/year
Water footprints of countries in Levant region:
Israel Average: 14,000 million m3/year
Palestine Average: 3,400 million m3/year
Lebanon: 8,100 million m3/year
Jordan Average: 8,300 million m3/year
Syria Average: 36,000 million m3/year
No data available for Iraq.
Initially looking at these footprints, the US looks drastically larger than the countries of the Levant region. However, the large number differences is largely because of the large difference in populations, where the US has hundreds of millions in population, whereas the other countries have around 3 or 4 million and then Syria with 16.9 million. Locations such as Palestine and Jordan likely experience lower footprints as water is not as accessible as in other states. Israel is able to practice more sustainability and use of water with the more access to the resource it experiences. A key difference in these footprints is in the US water is an easily accessible commodity, whereas in these other countries it could be for some a basic necessity that is not always easily accessible at all times in large amounts.

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Political Identity Infographic

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Where I live; where they live

Growing up in the West, especially the United States, can definitely cause a skewed understanding of what the Middle East is really like. The way the Middle East is depicted through the Western lens is often dramatized. In Hollywood, the Middle East is often shot through a yellow filter, where the yellow tones add to the narratives of these places being dirty, uglier or dangerous. An overwhelming majority of films involving the Middle East revolve around terrorists. In the media, stories of suffering, instability and terrorism are likely the only things to get coverage. While these all very well may be very real matters in the Middle East, it should not be the only image that exists. Just like all of the United States is not just rude New Yorkers, the Middle East is not just one place full of struggle. It is full of different and diverse countries, cultures, languages and people. Rather than relying on Hollywood or the biased media which often tend to serve as the only sources of learning, one should not let these biases cloud their judgement and should make efforts to learn more about the region. Learn from unbiased sources or others personal experiences to gain different and new perspectives.

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