For a country less than a fifth the size of Ohio, Israel has attracted more attention than any other country worldwide and constantly receives more criticism and resistance than countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and North Korea. The most common attacks against Israel include but are not limited to the claims that Israel is an apartheid state, Israel should withdraw from the west bank, and Israel has been using excessive force to squash opposition. Movements such as B.D.S. (Boycott Divest and Sanctions) have been gaining a disturbing amount of additional support over the past few years and this trend only seems to be growing. As such it has become incumbent upon college age students to be able to speak intelligently on the subject matter as more than any other place today, it is in colleges where children become adults and were ideas are formed and challenged. That is why within a week of writing this icnxt cohort three will be concluding the first year of the program by journeying to Israel with the hopes of turning facts, maps, and statistics into something that can be felt emotionally as well as understood. Our expectations for the trip are that upon our return home to Cleveland we will be able to not only understand but comprehend the issue and claims.
The city of S’derot has borne the brunt of the rocket attacks from Gaza and will be one of our first destinations. With the same goal in mind we will be heading to the Gaza border as well. It is one thing to hear statistics of the hardships people face on a daily basis, but it is something entirely different to actually go and witness this situation firsthand. Both of these destination will give us the opportunity to meet and speak with people, all of whom have been a part of this struggle for much longer than any of us high school students in icnext. It is with this mindset that most of the trip will be spent, the focus lying not on tourist attractions but on meeting and understanding the people, culture, and struggle. In short, my expectations as well as those of many of peers, is that upon our return we will have not only a better understanding but also a deeper feeling and connection to the land and to the people of Israel.