"There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story..."

     The last week and a half in Israel was bitter sweet. Finals were coming, as well as the end of our journey, were coming to an end. The fieldtrips during the last full week were all related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Wednesday the 6^th, we went to the West Bank and met with an Israeli citizen living in a settlement in the West Bank. We heard his opinion, being that there should be a one-state solution to the conflict. If there were a two state solution, he would have to leave his settlement, as it would be come part of the Palestinian state. Next we heard from a kibbutz member who lives on the kibbutz we were staying at, Kibbutz Tzuba. He was in favor of a two state solution, but preceded to tell us what Palestinians would say if we asked them, saying that no Palestinian would recognize Israel as a state, and that was why no compromise could be made. On Thursday, we went to speak to a Palestinian man living in Jerusalem to hear his opinion. He was a businessman and believed in a two state solution as well, and even admitted to recognizing Israel as a sovereign state. He was more interested in the financial situation of the Palestinian Authority than fighting over recognition of Israel. The Palestinian Authority has no money and Palestinians have trouble finding jobs. If there was a real lasting peace, Palestinians could work in Israel and be more financially successful. While his views seemed like sensible ideas, he represented a rich minority of Palestinians, and may not have shown the views of the general population. However both days were extremely educational about a situation I knew very little about before the trip.

     That weekend was a free weekend, mostly spent studying for the finals coming Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday we left the Kibbutz for the last time and headed to Tel Aviv. On the way, we stopped in Caesarea, a town built by King Herod around 20 BC. We spent Wednesday night in a hotel about two blocks from the beach in Tel Aviv. Thursday was our last day, and we were able to sleep in. We spent some time in the mall, then walked around Jaffa and saw the flea market. Thursday night we all went to dinner before heading to the airport.

Our trip to Israel was the best experience of my life. I have never learned so much from one trip, had so much fun, or met so many amazing people. As cliché as this is, I will never forget all the experiences I had for the rest of my life. To everyone reading this, you don’t know as much as you think about Israel. Ask someone who’s been there before just believing what the news says, or better yet, go visit. L'chaim!