Dialogue key to Israeli-Palestinian cooperation

Published February 4, 2010

The deeper I sank into the morass of literature on the Israeli-Arab conflict, the more I realized it is impossible to truly know anything about it.

After a while, I developed the only kind of “balanced opinion” one can have on such a contentious subject: an amalgamation of polarizing tidbits. It became an assortment of equally-weighted opposing blurbs, dictated by two different national narratives. My conversations became quite ambivalent, often starting with “Well, it’s clear that…” soon to be followed by “But, on the other hand…”

The truth is, there are enough facts, figures and well thought-out arguments on all sides that you can believe whatever you want to believe. There is no “getting to the bottom of it.” Anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is selling something. Sage advice for the real world, Swatties: Beware the zealots who pass out leaflets on the sidewalk. There will be many. … [read the full article in The Phoenix]

Jessa is a senior. She can be reached at jdeutsc1@swarthmore.edu.