Let's be serious for a second

(Via Jezebel, Israeli children playing in an illegal Jewish settlement in Ramallah on the West Bank. )

I've been working on an essay this week focussing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and then just this morning I logged onto Jezebel and saw this photograph which made me stop and reconsider everything I've been reading. It's been all too easy, from the comfort of my apartment, to be condescending and even flippant about the sources of the conflict, and to judge those who are perpetuating it. For days now, I've been writing about the frustrating political deadlock that various governments have seemed unable (and sometimes unwilling) to try and solve. It had come to the point where I was so caught up in the political rhetoric, I'd forgotten about the human element to these kind of conflicts. This photograph pulled me up short. 

Yes, horrible mistakes have been committed by both sides. But these three little girls? They've done nothing wrong. You cannot blame the children for the sins of their parents. 

I'm not sure what the solution is here, because as far as I can see there is no moral high ground to escape to. But for the people living in these countries, there is no escape at all. The only way that these children can grow up having happy, safe lives is if the political leaders of their communities can come to some sort of an agreement. The paths that their lives will take is proof that politics is about more than just rhetoric. I'm glad to have been reminded of it. 

Alice x