Nightly Nuance: May 12, 2021

Hello, my friends. Today, let’s talk about what’s happening in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

There is no easy way to talk about this. There is nothing simple about it. I think the most important thing to remember is that so many people in this region just want to live a normal life. They didn’t choose this. They have varying degrees of confidence in the leaders who launch rockets and deploy aggressive police forces.

I’m picking up today from my 2016 primer on this subject. If you haven’t listened or need a refresher, check it out.

If we think of the generations-long struggle in this region as a fire that’s always burning to some degree, there are many factors that are causing it to rage right now, including:

Political turmoil in both Israel and Palestine Attempts to evict Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood The presence and aggression of police forces at Temple Mount Hamas issuing an ultimatum to Israel The convergence of clashes and events during Ramadan and the celebration of Jerusalem Day

If you only read one piece on this conflict, I recommend the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen’s analysis.

As always, I’m happy to try to answer any questions, and I welcome the perspectives of everyone closer to this conflict than I am. Thanks for being here. -beth

P.S. Because of so many requests, I'm making this episode public. Thank you SO MUCH to the Nightly Nuance family for supporting our work here and for your generosity with other listeners!