Saturday, March 8, 2008

Purpose of Blog

My intent in writing this blog is to share my experience in Palestine and Israel with those interested in gaining a greater understanding of the impact of the conflict on the lives that are inseparable from it. The limited and selective media coverage of the conflict, particularly in the United States, has created a culture centered around a lack of knowledge instead of genuine understanding. I am hoping to make a small crack in this foundation by sharing with you the stories and feelings of people on both sides of the conflict, from the Israeli citizens of Sderot, who live under the constant fear of Hamas rocket attacks, to Palestinians living in the West Bank, who have endured a constant and devastating Israeli occupation for the past 40 years. I will make every attempt not to tell you how you should view the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, but instead provide you with information that will deepen your understanding of the conflict and ultimately help you to formulate your own perspective. However, I also believe it is important for me to share with you the impact that a particular situation has on me and my perspective. Therefore, given my objectives, objectivity is of the utmost importance. I will attempt to blog daily, but we may only have internet access in Jerusalem, thus resulting in two or three day gaps between updates. Thank you.