While I lived in Egypt, I spent a long vacation with a, now, Israeli Jewish friend. During this time, I spent a lot of time with Israelis, and people who I would never had communicated with otherwise. I am very frustrated and discouraged by the ideologues that I have seen on both sides. When discussing the Gaza war, my friend refused to discuss reports that condemned Israeli action and accused the IDF of using white phosphorous. The response was always, they lie. They are anti-Semetic. I find this to be very sad. The Economist recently wrote an article on this issue. It observes that the recent report is a missed opportunity. That is it's a missed opportunity for both sides to observe where they may have wronged the other. Many I know who are Israeli will automatically deny the report's validity because the UN is (according to these Israelis) is anti-Semitic.
Meanwhile, My Arab friends will shake their heads, and ask, why does the world refuse to stand up against Israel when such reports confirm what we believe? They will conveniently forget the part of the report that condemns Hamas for targeting Israeli civilians.
I wonder how it is possible to engage in dialogue when the reports produced and the evidence that is found is not considered reliable. Many Israelis ask, why do other states who may have committed war crimes not receive the same attention. I agree with this. I do think there are other conflicts that deserve more attention than they receive, but I believe that should not deflect the dialogue away from the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I also would like to point out that these military acts are coupled with discriminatory regulations towards Palestinians, and it's simply the nature of the conflict.
I agree with the Economist, the report is definitely an opportunity lost.
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