Instructor: “When a missile attack happens, you will hear a loud continuous siren. Stay away from the staircase, if possible find a washroom to hide, and immediately duck in”
Me: “What? Missiles?!”
Instructor: “Also stay away from the windows, the glass pieces might hurt you. Some look out of the window to see the Iron Dome send counter missiles. Don’t do that. It could be dangerous.”
Me: <<Silence>>
Instructor: “These are the upcoming protests. Exercise caution in these areas. You will see armed youth with guns, don’t freak out. Take our emergency contacts. Lastly, if you don’t want to be killed, look like a tourist. We don’t care about them.”
For the first time ever in my life, I received active safety instructions on where to duck when a missile attack happens! No, this is not what I thought when I was having fun with the Mediterranean waves in Tel Aviv yesterday. As a kid, I grew up reading news about the border conflict between India and its neighbours. There was constant tension in these regions of conflict. Living far south in India where only the sea makes our border, I was isolated from what a war zone looks like.
The conflict of Israel Palestine dates a lot back in time which was left unsolved. Post-conflict reconstruction and reparation is one of the biggest challenges faced by international social workers today. I began studying the institutions and foundations of Israel Palestine up-close to analyse the demographics and the complexities of the region. I started off by reading books from common perspectives of Israel Palestine and diversified into books with extreme perspectives. I met a few Israelis and Palestinians living in the United States, discussed with my fellow researchers, and formed my own perspective of the region. I thought I knew a lot about the place I was going to. I thought I was ready. It did not take much time to realise I was wrong. I wasn’t ready for what I saw. It was all bizarre in the initial days. People were so casual in conversations about fear, suffering, and death. People were also magnanimous in overcoming their trauma and propagating peace for the upcoming generations. As days passed by, the more I let it sink in, the hard truth hit me. I was a mere researcher at this place. I come and I go. But the people here and their generations have been living amidst this chaos and trauma. You know what the scariest part is? They are used to living in fear, in suffering, in pain every single day. A bitter truth that irks our conscious reminding us of the plight of our fellow humans.
This Mosaic art advocating peace was made by residents of Wahat al-Salam Neve Shalom where both Israelis and Palestinians co-exist on mutually respectful terms.
Vineesha Badabhagni 
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