Voices From the Middle East:
Liat Margalit
Liat Margalit feels safer since the occupation.
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By Liat Margalit
 I
checked with the Oxford Dictionary to find the English definition
for "occupy."
(to) occupy : to take by force and keep possession of.
When you hear the word occupation, the immediate connotation is
of colonialism, domination and a certain viciousness. Unlike the
dictionary definition, Israel's intention is not to — "keep
possession of" — those occupied Palestinian cities, like
Bethlehem and Ramallah. I do not see us staying there forever.
We say that we are 'RE-occupying' Palestinian cities.
We were forced to go back, as the body count kept growing with
almost daily episodes of suicide bombings. 26 Israelis were killed
in one hotel dining room on Passover night and it still kept coming.
If you had asked me a few years back if Israel should occupy the
West Bank again, well, first I would think you're crazy, because
I would never believe Israel would get into another war with the
PLO.
Morally, I do see occupation as unjust and unfair. But right now,
I personally feel much safer since the operation, "Wall of
Defense," began. In fact, two days ago was the first time I
went downtown with my friends after a period of not being able to
go anywhere without worry for months. All of my friends and family
feel more secure, and in a way it feels like a sort of a liberation.
As much as this analogy might sound ridiculous, it is like getting
out of the cage of your own home.
I know this takes a high price with both young Israeli soldiers
and Palestinians being killed. And I know war damages future generations.
But security comes first, living comes first.
— Liat Margalit is 17 years old and lives in Jerusalem.
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