5.19.2021

The main message that I got from today's class was how the recent Israel-Palestine situation is going out of hand, not only because of the turbulent ongoing missile launches toward prominent buildings in the Gaza Strip, but also due to the uncontrollable veto situation in the Security Council.  Now, I had known that the Security Council abided by the great power of Unanimity, but I was surprised at how easy it is to exploit the rule in order to gain favorable results to the  5 permanent member states, especially when their aim is obvious from which resolutions to condemn. When Mr. Paterson told us that the US has been using the veto for the past 3 or so SC meetings to allow Israel's continuation of their launch at Palestinians, I thought it was a very predictable act for the country that provides an enormous amount of funds daily to support their military, which very much contradicts the president's "concerns" as said toward media. As Mr. Paterson also mentioned, I don't know why they don't admit that the reasons are because of securing and improving its own economy by allowing the Israelis to use their ammunition. I wonder why they had to target such a conflicting country which by the way is actually a developed country, rather than trying to negotiate with other countries. What will also happen when Israel blames their doings on America because they were the ones that sanctioned their military? Whatever happens though, I think it would be difficult for any retaliation to occur against the US, because despite both countries being classified as "developed", there is obviously a hierarchy of power. 

Watching the video of the 10-year-old girl was extremely heart-breaking. I can't comprehend her shock of waking up to the sound of bombs raining from the air, and destroying her house that she had survived in for so long. However, this is only a small example of the outrageous volatile acts that have been discriminatory against innocent Palestinians into unfair situations. I was especially shocked at the bombings of graveyards. When people go to an extent in which they exploit a person's basic spiritual values as a part of their operational strategy is when we have to ask ourselves, is this an act of strategy? Or an act of vandalism against our fundamental virtues? This may sound harsh, but throughout history, the dead has been symbolized as a place of respect, as in Japan and many others, there are constant reminders to visit and regard our past lives. Even according to Jewish Law, exposing a body from its grave is considered disrespectful, as their helpless and vulnerable state would be visible to everyone for ridicule. It is ironic to know that Israel's approach to democratizing the country as a Judaism nation, is quite contradictory. 

Noting how the media is yet again utilizing its sneaky passive voice to blur reality made me wonder if they had been always like this from the beginning of their existence. Moreover, although I talked about social media being a better option for engaging with the raw insights of citizens, this class had taught us about the presence of ownership, when the owner of the company is connected with the turmoil, in which not all social media are deemed as unbiased. I hadn't known Marc Zuckerberg grew up in a predominantly Jewish household until today, which shows the importance of understanding the company itself, before using its services. I feel like this accounts for all aspects of life because you can never trust something, if you don't know it well enough.