Perspective from an Israeli-Russian immigrant: On education, "unseeing," and historical ironies

Growing up in the Israeli education system, I learned how systematic our "unseeing" of Palestinians really was. Despite living near Arab villages, in 10 years of schooling we had exactly one organized visit to an Arab school - complete with armed guards. We were taught to see ourselves only as victims requiring constant vigilance against annihilation, while simultaneously being unable to recognize the parallels between historical Jewish resistance and Palestinian resistance today.

The irony runs deep: We study the Jewish underground's fight against the British Mandate as heroic ingenuity, while condemning similar tactics when used by Palestinians. We take pride in the Davidka launcher displayed in Jerusalem, while being outraged by makeshift rockets. We praise the hiding of weapons in civilian buildings during our independence struggle, while denouncing others who do the same. We condemn the Palestinian use of violence as terrorism while arresting and imprisoning Palestinian writers and intellectuals for non-violent protest.

Most tragic is how we've mastered the art of "unseeing." We pretend Palestinians never existed in vilages and towns where we're told "nobody" lived 100 years ago. We treat Arab citizens as temporary guests in their ancestral lands. We expect to live normal lives while maintaining a system that denies that same normality to millions under our control.

This isn't about both sides or drawing false equivalences. It's about recognizing how our education system and society have created what might be one of history's most effective examples of collective self-deception - where even those who enjoy hummus from Arab shops can support policies that destroy Arab lives.

[This is a personal perspective based on my experience growing up in Israel. Happy to engage in respectful discussion.]