Telling myself, ask answerable questions. Unanswerable questions deter progress.

WhatsApping with Mohammed, last week, I asked questions and withheld questions. Discussion. Everything will never be said. Not that I couldn’t ask. We both asked and answered. No expectations to adopt the other’s narrative. Respecting it. Exposing bitter contrasts.

Recalling a team meeting. Israelis and West Bank Palestinians. Early 2024. Following Dr. Khalil Shikaki’s quarterly report on trends in West Bank and Gaza on condemnation of Hamas and the events of October 7. In discussion, a Palestinian woman emphasized condemnation of killing innocent civilians. I asked, “Was an IDF soldier protecting an innocent Israeli civilian, a legitimate target for the Nukhba forces?” She reiterated condemnation for killing civilians. Got it. Didn’t like it. Doesn’t mean I condone all acts of all Israeli soldiers.

Refocusing on the WhatsApp exchange. Mohammed’s UN-issued refugee card. He didn’t know, I froze, momentarily. Thawed thinking Jews longed for Zion. Conflicted empathy. Question to self persists: What does it mean, Mohammed and his family returning to Jaffa? Other Palestinians returning to Beersheva, Haifa, Jerusalem?Non-negotiable?

Coincidentally reading last weekend’s Haaretz interview with Israeli philosopher, Prof. Avishai Margalit. Noted, he and his late wife purchased their home in........

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