Nonfiction Reading Response by: Jacob Cedar

In the article “How the MURDER of Four Teens Started a WAR,” author Patricia Smith writes about the four boys who were killed, how Hamas and Israel fought, and how the tension between Israeli’s and Palestinians came to be. The author describes how problems between the Palestinians and Israeli’s started because the U. N. gave Jewish people land in Jerusalem, with a plan to split the Palestinians and Jews into two states, which the Palestinians rejected. The Palestinians and Israeli’s have had run-ins since 1947 but the most recent one was after 3 Israeli boys were found dead, (June 12 they were captured) and a Palestinian boy was murdered (killed on July second). This prompted Israel to launch air strikes at Hamas. These murders were tragic but the outcome shouldn’t have been war.

            Patricia Smith tells the story from each side, making it difficult to pick a side to defend. One example that shows this is after a Palestinian boy is killed, his brother says, “His life was still ahead of him, and here in one minute, extremists who hate Arabs, who hate peace, came in and cut short his whole life.” This quote shows the grief of a brother who’s feeling the strife of his country in his home and the hatred and disharmony that exists in Israel. This boy and his family don’t deserve to suffer because someone supposedly from Palestine killed three Israeli’s. Furthermore, the author quoted the Israeli Prime Minister in response to the three Israeli boys being abducted and killed, “They were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by beasts, Hamas is responsible and Hamas will pay.” It’s difficult to defend either group, because Hamas or some un-connected Palestinian could have killed these three Israeli kids but at the same time they may not have. There was no clear evidence. Furthermore, this by no means should have started air strikes and bombings. This was simply tragic.

            The author makes a big point to talk about the “birth of Israel,” and how it came to be, and more importantly why there is a problem in Israel. Patricia Smith taught me that the U.N. voted to split Palestine apart writing, “According to the U.N. plan, the territory, then known as Palestine and governed by Great Britain, would be divided into two states, one Arab and one Jewish. But the Arabs rejected this plan,” this shows the main reason why the Arabs and Jews have been fighting. This makes me think that the Arabs attacking the Jews was not totally uncalled for, because their land was split in half against their will. Additionally, the U.N. probably shouldn’t have given away land that wasn’t theirs to give, although Great Britain did control Palestine at the time. This shows a very large reason for why there is still a problem in Palestine.

            After reading this article I have begun to understand that sometimes neither group of people who are fighting are wrong. This article also makes me want to look more deeply into problems surrounding Palestine and the Jews. I’m intrigued by why the U.N. just gave away half of Palestine to the Jews and I want to find out why Hamas was blamed for killing the 3 Israeli boys. I would like to know more about this because at the moment what it looks like to me is that, three boys were killed by someone or a group, the reason is fairly unknown and then some Israeli radicals went out and killed a Palestinian boy for “revenge.” These are terrible, unreasonable actions that people should never commit.

Upfront Magazine October 27 2014 issue