Today in Jewish history class we discussed the issue of the Deir Yassin Massacre. During the War of Independence, members of the Etzel, a separate, more hardcore military entity than the Hagana defense force, attacked the Arab village of Deir Yassin, killing over one hundred residents, including women and children. The area was somewhat significant in terms of military strategy, but what was really important about Deir Yassin is that it had huge effects, one of them being that it contributed to the fleeing of seven hundred thousand Arab refugees. We didn't really examine what effect this had on the outcome of the war, but based on the idea that this tragic event positively influenced the Zionist war effort, we discussed whether we were in support of this happening or not. My opinion is that if we are fighting for a Jewish state, we shouldn't do anything that would be considered against Jewish morals, especially the massacre of innocent people. Therefore, no matter how much it helped the Jews in the war effort, it is unacceptable, and I am embarrassed that Jewish fighters could do such a thing. However, when presented with the question of whether I would go back in time and stop it, I found it more difficult to answer. I can't imagine myself going back and changing history, no matter whether I agree with what happened or not. Ultimately, we won the war and have an independent Jewish state, and if there was a chance of this not being the case in order to save one hundred lives, Arab or not, I don't think I would change anything. This presents me with a dilemma, as I think that it should not have happened, however I don't think I would stop it if I could. There seem to be a lot of issues surrounding this region at which a simple, correct answer cannot be found, and perhaps this is part of why there is so much tension and conflict here.