Yom Hatz-ma-ut / Al-Nakba

So Israeli Independence Day (Yom Hatz-ma-ut) is coming up on Monday...speaking in plain factual terms, it's when Jews celebrate the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, and commemorate the lives of fallen soldiers who sacrificed themselves for their belief in a home for Jews. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Ha'atzmaut

For the majority of Palestinians and Arabs, it's known as Al-Nakba, literally meaning "the disaster." It becomes a day of mourning to remember when Arabs living in the region became refugees and lost their homes, land, and some their lives. For more information, read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakba_Day

I'll list some interesting points that came up this past Thursday in my Middle Eastern History class, regarding Independence Day/Al-Nakba.

1) Orthodox Jews at Palestinian rallies: There are some Orthodox Jews (I forgot which sects) that rally alongside Palestinians at rallies against the state of Israel. Weird, huh? These Jews don't recognize the official state of Israel because they believe that Israel can't be founded until after the messiah comes.

2) The hummus wars: I thought this was a joke, but Lebanon competed against Israel for a world record over who could make the largest bowl of hummus ever. Apparently this tasty food is politically controversial. More on that here: http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/hummus-boycott-2012-4/

3) Math class story: Our professor told us a story about a class at a Hand in Hand school (a unique school in Israel that educates both Jewish and Arab students together in bilingual classrooms; they have about four branches in the country). A teacher drew a map of Israel on the board and one student raised his hand and said, "You forgot Palestine." The students got into an argument over what the map should say: Israel or Palestine. The teacher told the kids he would leave it up to them to figure out and left the room for a while. When the teacher got back, the kids had chosen "Our Land."

4) No official constitution in Israel: So Israel is supposedly a democratic country, yet it has no official constitution; the Declaration of Independence supposedly serves as one, but without an official constitution, I don't understand how civil rights are guaranteed. One of my classmates, who is British, said England doesn't have a constitution either, and they have civil rights. However, it seems to me that without a constitution, there isn't an official "standard" to measure up to in court when civil rights are violated, because the civil rights aren't spelled out literally.

5) Educational curriculums: Like schools in America, Israeli teachers aren't allowed to discuss their own political opinions. However, teachers aren't technically supposed to mention the Nakba. This issue brings up some questions: how much free speech should a government allow? Will violence follow? How cautious should we be of that possibility? Is Israel truly a democracy if it prohibits teachers from discussing historical events in public school classrooms? What is a "true" democracy anyhow? And at what age should we start explaining politics to children?

6) What does "peace" mean? What is the definition of peace? If different groups in society have different definitions, can a country have peace? For example, does peace mean a two-state solution, giving West Bank residents Israeli citizenship and equal rights, financial reparations, a simple agreement not to fight anymore, etc. It's hard to be a peacenik if peace itself is vaguely defined.

7)Vocabulary and reclaiming words: What does nakba mean? What is a Zionist? What was a Zionist 100 years ago? What does it mean to be one today? Can you have different definitions of nakba, Zionism and other sensitive terms? Can words be re-claimed and given new definitions to accommodate differing views?