Conflict Solution

As we discussed at the beginning of the quarter, the views regarding the Middle Eastern conflict vary immensely depending on prior knowledge not only of the region, but the histories surrounding every aspect of life in this holy city, current location, upbringing, and most unfortunately to me, media influence.  With today's influx of technology (the ability to access e-mails, Skype and CNN updates to your phones, iPods, and computers every second of the day) nobody is ever far away from  the constant stream of media. Regrettably, Americans (I'm not 100% free of blame myself) usually believe the first thing they hear or read and don't bother to delve further into the subject matter causing our perceptions to be very skewed.  This conflict has become so intertwined with media coverage that the real issues are being portrayed differently than they may actually be occurring.  This is something I only learned from first-hand experiences from members of the class.  In order to halt these misconceptions, I think media (American and otherwise) should take a step back from the front lines and let those involved remain involved-no more, no less.  The current outside involvement allows those with no legitimate knowledge to have biased opinions and offer solutions that are not only unachievable, but also add to the growing culture clash.  If the media backs away, it is possible that the intense tensions may subside a little allowing steps to be made towards a solution, allowing a peace process to be possible in the long run.  Armstrong's book (on the whole) did a good job at being impartial and covering all facets of the historical conflict-if only all media sources were as reliable and accurate.