Gaza Diary by Chris Hedges

November 16, 2001 12:38 PM

Gaza Diary by Chris Hedges It's generally not the best idea to post links about the Palestine/Israel conflict, as each day's news can be debated ad infitum by various sides. However this Gaza Diary is a stunning personal look into the ravages of war and occupation. Written by the New York Times Mideast Bureau Chief, and published in Harper's in October, it's a meditative reflection on the ways the human spirit can be twisted by conflict, and how a reporter (even a seasoned one) responds to the demons of war. Well worth your time.
posted by cell divide (6 comments total)

here are some photos of, I believe, some of the same events described in the diary. Or at least ones like them, these grim situations have a horrible repetitiveness to them.
posted by cell divide at 1:41 PM on November 16, 2001

Wow. wow. wow. What an amazing story.
I have read books on Aparthied in South Africa and I'll be damned if this didn't sound exactly the same.
Until the Israelis realize the Palastinians aren't ever going to leave, there will never be peace. Until the Palestinians realize the Israelis are never going to leave, there will never be peace.
Everyone is so blinded by hate and death and history that they are incapable of seeing that both sides are bringing it upon themselves. Until the Israeli's quit treating them like pariahs and second class citizens (wait...they aren't even citizens!) and give them something to live for, they won't get peace.
What an awful place.
posted by aacheson at 2:08 PM on November 16, 2001

I think it's false to think most Israelis hate most Palestinian Arabs. More likely, they feel sorry for them, and would like to help them, but are unable to more than they have over the years (more than any Arab/Muslim nation has) by the ignorance and tyrany of the Arab/Muslim world. Whether most Palestinian Arabs hate the Israelis is more likely; if only they had a clue; if only they realized that it's their other neighbors who are truly fucking them over.
posted by ParisParamus at 2:15 PM on November 16, 2001

I don't think this article said that "Most Israeli's hate Palestinian Arabs." It simply was describing the situation those people are living in as refugees. It attempted to show where the hatred comes from.

The problem with this type of post (as Cell Divide alluded to) is that it always ends up being debated by people who cannot view the situation objectively.

I don't have an opinion one way or another. I think both sides are to blame. Equally. Perhaps that's why it hit me so hard.
posted by aacheson at 2:34 PM on November 16, 2001

aacheson: "I don't have an opinion one way or another"...
"I have read books on Aparthied (sic) in South Africa and I'll be damned if this didn't sound exactly the same.
You'll be damned anyway, in Dante's hell.

Whatever the truth is to the events being described, the writing itself is appreciably biased. Note his adjectives used in reference to either side.
posted by semmi at 3:02 PM on November 16, 2001

This is an extremely intense article. I don't think you can call it biased... it's describing one side of the tragedy of Israel and Palestine that is simply devastating. Very well written, spare, haunting, depressing. The injustice of the occupation of the Gaza Strip, which has been also called out by people like Thomas Friedman is shocking.

War is hell, but Gaza sounds like one of the worse circles, to borrow Semmi's Dante allusion.
posted by chaz at 12:49 AM on November 17, 2001