A young Israeli explains why stay in Israel instead of going to another place where there is no shortage of security and collapsing economy.

Many people have their private solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Just leaving the area, admitting that there is no solution and there will be no peace here. Although it does solve some of the personal problems, like the economy, security, water and weather, it is not a global solution. Not the Israelis and not the Palestinians are going to disappear or relocate. There can never be a massive emigration to solve this conflict.

This is also a morally matter. I do feel I owe my birth and my life to Israel. Without Israel, what is the chance that my Romanian grandfather would meet my Polish grandmother? What could drive my Polish grandmother out of her ultra orthodox family, if not Israel and the Zionist ideas? Would she avoid the Holocaust otherwise? Also, how could my Chilean mother meet my father if she wouldn't move to Israel?

The common of all my family is that they are Jews. Although many citizenships, they are one religion, one people, one nation and deserve one homeland.

After all these questions, I believe that I would never be born without Israel. Israel gave me life, and ethically I must give it back anything I can. My money, my brain, and I hope it would never get up to this, but even my blood. If not by fighting for its defense, then at least by going to a shopping mall, a disco or buying a pizza.

It is a great temptation to move to another place, where the welfare system works, the streets are safe, the water are plenty, jobs are available and the corruption is down. But news from around the world tells it is no heaven. Anti-Semitism is growing everywhere, even violent attacks. I have no desire to move to a place where I need to hide my identify and run away from myself. Those who look for will always find the Jew, and I trust IDF to defend me much better than any western army.

In the dead list there are already 6 Israelis who were murdered abroad since the start of the Al Aqsa Intifada: 1 in Jordan, 1 in Egypt, 1 in Turkey, 1 in Switzerland and 2 in LA. This shows there is no safe place for us. And if one place is worth fighting for, and we have rights on it, it is no other than Israel.

Despite the hard times, we better work to fix things up rather than running away. This is not a solution. What's the wonder we elect leaders like Sharon when many sane people are leaving? I recall, from a while ago, an article by Israeli who lives in NY. He has a Palestinian neighbor, and they both lament about the situation and the leaders. Wouldn't they voice get heard better if they were actually in their countries, talking as people who are living the hard lives of both sides?

With quality people leaving the region, the problem only gets worse. What we need here are conscientious people, that might bring the long awaited change. The Middle East's greatest problem is that there are so many good people at the Diaspora and exile, leaving behind them only impotent and warlike leaders.

Much more irritating thing than the emigration to solve personal problems, is emigrates with political agenda. Leaving, yet advising what to do. And this is no matter from which side of the political map you are. How can someone who doesn't live here tell us to withdraw unilaterally, when he is not going to suffer from the results if a war turns out of this act? And from the rightist side, someone who left the country may not tell us that we should reject peace offer, fight and die for keeping Jerusalem united or avoiding turnover of "holy land".

One last thing is that this is our only country, and it was built for a good reason. To get the Jews protecting themselves. You can never know when will the history repeats itself, so this state is still needed, at least how long as Anti-Semitism exists. My grandparents didn't built this country from nothing to what it is today, scarifying everything only so that I will quit when my turn comes. I say play the game, and win it. Hopefully a win-win, but never a defeat.