So complex and so long-lasting. But at the same time, so academic and tangible. The war between Israel and the Arab world, today with Hamas as the protagonist, is not that difficult to understand. For me, it was enough to come and experience it firsthand. It was enough to spend a few days in an apartment with an eccentric neighbor.
I arrived a couple of weeks ago in the heart of Nachlaot. A beautiful, traditional apartment, but with a flaw. A neighbor whom I gradually got to know. It started with the music. I will never be a difficult neighbor: if you play the piano well, I will even be grateful. But this guy started playing loud and demonic techno, and that's when I began to understand the war.
Then came the issue of the apartment building's door. It turns out he lives in a unit right next to the main entrance. And that door needs a good push to close properly. One day I did that, and apparently, I did it with so much force that his apartment shook. He immediately came out to kindly mention that, and I took note.
However, on the same day, I received a call from the woman renting me the apartment. With a friendly tone but an unexpected message. She told me that this neighbor had called to complain. First, about the door, which seemed strange to me since notifying me should have been enough. But then, the woman told me that the neighbor said I was having parties, as he had seen people entering with beer bottles.
She already expected it to be a lie. In any case, that's when I understood the war even more. I understood that some are difficult, but so are others. Some throw a stone, and others throw two. Some throw two stones, and others throw a rock. Some throw a rock, and others throw tear gas. Some throw tear gas, and others throw a Molotov cocktail. Some throw a Molotov cocktail, and others throw a missile.
Some invent, and others exaggerate.
Some have kindness, and so do others. There are many Arabs who will offer you coffee when you enter their home, and many Jews will offer you tea when you enter ours. But there are also Arabs who are bad neighbors, and Jews who are too.
If I had responded and increased the volume of my music, the war would have started. It could have happened because revenge is part of human nature. The war is not that difficult to understand.
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