The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Israel's Tactics Thwart Attacks, with Trade Off." The article begins, "Suicide bombings in Israel have dropped off so significantly that the nation’s security officials now dare to speak openly of success. But the very steps they are taking to thwart bombers appear to collide head-on with the government’s agenda of achieving peace with the Palestinians." "...the current calm is fragile, and to maintain it Israeli security officials say they must continue their nightly arrests and sometimes deadly raids in the heart of the West Bank — tactics at odds with a peace effort that envisions a separate Palestinian state, an eventual Israeli withdrawal from much of the West Bank and, in the meantime, a gradual transfer of authority to the Palestinian police."
Read the Article!!
Discussion Starters for Younger Children
Do your students like having people hang/cling on them? Why/why not? Do they think it's OK for people to stand very very close to them? Why/why not? How much space do students think that people should keep between themselves and other people?
Do students think it's OK to look through other students' lockers/cubbies/desks? Why/why not? What if the student looking thinks that the other student has taken something of his/hers?
Ask students to imagine that they were locked inside of high walls. How many different ways can they think of getting out? What kinds of tools might they find useful as they tried to get out?
If two kids are fighting and somebody else is not involved, do students think that the uninvolved student should do something to stop the fight? Why/why not?
Discussion Starters for Older Students
Vocabulary terms to discuss: Thwart; Straddle; Parameters; and, Naivete.
What three questions do students think that both Israelis and the Palestinians should have to answer in order to try and reach an understanding between themselves? Why these three specific questions?
Do students think that Israel has a right to militarily enter Palestinian territory if the result is fewer suicide bombings? Encourage them to argue both sides.
Is it fair to consider suicide bombers murderers? Why/why not? Encourage students to argue both sides.