Let’s drop the word “Palestine”

My husband who is a software engineer by trade, saw breaking news in the early morning hours. Hamas attacked civilians out of nowhere. He immediately went online to book a flight to Israel. Unfortunately, the airline cancelled my husband’s flight. <br><br>Once he couldn’t go he stated via text message and on a couple of social media platforms that he now considers any person who supports the Palestinians as his enemy. <br><br>As someone who has friends and family that are Palestinian, I was very upset by his statement. After I expressed my concerns to him, he said that the group “Palestine” (and other terrorist groups) are his enemies, not people who are Palestinian or have Palestinian heritage. Then he asked me to put a post out on fb to to this effect. <br><br>I did.<br><br>I was asked by someone in the comments who is a friend of ours why we speak so much about Israel. I told him that I wasn’t interested in debating him. He reached out to me and offered an apology. <br><br>I was also asked why a place like Israel which is physically and emotionally so far away matters so much to us. I think the answer is not only do we care deeply about Israel, but we are also against bullying. <br><br>I’ve had friends try to tell me that the Israelis are the bullies. I find that to be a red flag. <br><br>When I was a little kid, I was bullied because I was different. I went through a lot. <br><br>The first time I went to Israel I met a man who grew up in the occupied territories. He had been through horrible things. He was shot in the head as a child. I was amazed that he was not a bitter person. I didn’t expect him to be so pro Israel. <br><br>I have a lot of Palestinian friends. I have Palestinian family. They are the most wonderful people in the world. <br><br>I spent my childhood and worked in a Jewish community. They are also the most wonderful people in the world. <br><br>I think that the word “Palestine” can be very confusing as it may be used to refer to so many things. <br><br>I think we should talk about Gaza, which is Hamas controlled. I think we should talk about the West Bank. I think we should talk the occupied territories, etc. <br><br>Let’s stop talking about the imaginary country called “Palestine”. <br><br>I am not making any conclusions about the Palestinian people. I am making conclusions about the imaginary country of “Palestine”. <br><br>When I went through horrifying things as a little kid, my take away was that I believe in justice. I believe in doing what’s right. And also I believe in eliminating bullies.