Engaging in the disengagement

As our bus pulls to a stop on this hot July day, I see my first real view of Jerusalem. Our madracha, Hebrew for counselor, quickly gives our group of 40 American teens a few reminders for our first day in Israel. Stay with a buddy, keep hydrated, be respectful - all things that I expect. But then she makes a request that I have not anticipated: "Please, for the next three weeks, do not wear any orange or blue."

I turn to my traveling companion, junior Jessie Hallberlin, to see if we are thinking the same thing. Sure enough, her puzzled face echoes my own uncertainty. In response to our reaction, our madracha briefly explains that we can't wear these colors because of the "disengagement." But we, along with others on the bus, are still confused.

Soon, we are told that "disengagement" is a term for the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip. The colors have come to represent the two sides of the argument in Israel: Orange stands for anti-disengagement, or support for continuing to occupy the Gaza Strip, while blue stands for pro-disengagement.

While satisfied with the explanation, I feel slightly ashamed. I have always considered myself politically active as well as highly involved in the Jewish community. How, then, could I be so uninformed of something so pivotal in Israel's struggle for peace?

But my B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) bus mates and I are not the only ones uneducated on this issue. According to an informal Silver Chips survey of 100 Blazers on Sept. 14, a mere seven percent of Blazers recognize the term "disengagement" as having to do with Israel, and only 20 percent are aware that Israel has pulled out of the Gaza Strip at all.

Other Blazers who traveled to Israel this summer were thrown into the conflict of the disengagement just as Hallberlin and I were, and now that we have safely returned to the United States, we want others to understand the situation just as we do.

Disengagement 101

Israel has occupied the Gaza Strip, a narrow piece of land bordering the Mediterranean Sea between Egypt and Israel, since the 1967 Six-Day War. During the conflict, Israel took control of Gaza from the Palestinians. Through the 1993 Palestinian-Israeli agreements known as the Oslo Accords, Palestinians regained control of much of the land. While Palestinian authorities pushed for autonomy in Gaza because they believe it is rightfully theirs, frequent suicide bombings in Israel by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, Palestinian terrorist groups not connected to the government, made Israel reluctant to pull out completely.

Finally, in 2005, after mounting international pressure to further the peace process, the Israeli government voted to implement Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for independent disengagement from the Gaza Strip beginning on Aug. 15, just a week after several Blazers, including myself, departed from Israel.

The color war

The orange and blue are clear examples of the divisive nature of the disengagement, according to Michael Feshbach, a rabbi at Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase and author of various articles on the disengagement. Feshbach explains that, though most Israelis agree that a pullout was necessary, not all agree with how Sharon and the government handled it.

The strongest supporter of the disengagement was the Israeli government itself. In an interview with "Newsweek" reporter Lally Weymouth, Sharon says, "I never thought there would be any possibility that a small Jewish minority in Gaza - seven or 8,000 Israelis, among 1.2 million Palestinians, whose number doubles every generation - might become a majority or a place that could be an integral part of the state of Israel."

Despite Sharon's insistence on the necessity of the pullout, many Israelis were still opposed. Hallberlin admits that, before going to Israel, she could not see why anyone would resist the disengagement. But being there and hearing all sides of the issue has changed her perspective. "On the outside it looks like, `Hey, Israel is doing a really good thing,'" Hallberlin says. "But I never stopped to look at the other side."

Those who were against the disengagement in Israel were much easier to pick out than those in favor. Former Blazer Nick Brown, who now lives near Jerusalem's Arab Quarter, writes in an e-mail that support for anti-disengagement was prevalent for months leading up to the pullout. He would often see Israelis protesting the disengagement by sitting in the middle of the road and sometimes burning tires in order to block off streets.

The debate over the disengagement not only consumed Israeli politics, but also manifested itself in nearly every part of life. Senior Liora Diamond, who went to Israel on a five-week trip with Young Judea, says the pullout from Gaza was a "constant topic of discussion wherever you went."

The color war of orange and blue was the most visible part of the conflict. "Orange was everywhere," Brown says. There were orange arm and head bands, shirts, hats, posters, and, most commonly, ribbons on cars.

Even on the last night, when my madracha took our group for one last visit to the Western Wall, the world's holiest site of prayer for Jews, the conflict was present. With one hand on the wall, I looked up to admire its vastness, only to find a single streamer of orange plastic hanging down above me.

But regardless of personal opinion, all that Israelis can do now is sit and wait to see what happens. "Everybody is holding their breath to see if this was a helpful step in the direction of peace or a colossal blunder," says Feshbach.

What's the big deal?

After growing used to the disengagement's magnitude in Israel, Blazers were surprised to return home and find their friends still uninformed of the situation. Diamond says that even now her friends "are not really aware at all" of the conflict in Israel.

While many teens have no direct connection to Israel, Feshbach insists, "The situation in Israel is important for all Americans, not just Jews." He points out that not only is America connected politically to the Middle East because it is one of our main energy sources, but most Americans have a religious or spiritual tie to Israel as well. Feshbach also says that a lasting peace between two very different peoples, the Israelis and Palestinians, would prove that it is possible to overcome centuries of hatred and could serve as a model for future peace efforts around the world.

Now that Israel has pulled out all of its settlers and its six remaining army battalions from the Gaza Strip, the disengagement is officially over. But for the Blazers who visited Israel this summer - and especially for me - the fight to keep ourselves and our friends well-informed is just beginning.