https://youtu.be/3st-Hai1y54?si=jL-pQdD1qRuW5pzK
The joke, of course, is that everyone knows the answer *should* be world peace. Knowing that is the easy part! The hard part, is, as ever, actually achieving word peace.
When titling this blog post, I wasn't sure if it would come off as flippantly talking about a tragic crisis. For my entire life (4 decades and counting!), there has been some ongoing crisis in the middle east. Currently, there are a bunch of terrible situations happening - Syria continues to be a hot mess, Iran continues to execute human rights protestors, and Houthi rebels are trying to take over Yemen and disrupt international shipping, to name a few.
But the crisis I want to talk about is the current chapter in the Israel/Palestine conflict. On October 7th, 2023, armed Palestinians slaughtered over 1,000 people and took hostage over 200 more. Many of those were Israeli civilians going about their daily lives. I haven't been able to watch the videos or look at pictures of many of the events, because my brain just can't comprehend the evil in killing/raping music festival attendees, shooting elderly holocaust survivors, and murdering babies. It's important to acknowledge these facts. Even if you think the Palestinian people have some legitimate beefs (and they very much do, in my opinion), we need to live in a world where we acknowledge that this attack was horrific and traumatizing.
In response, Israeli forces have decimated the Gaza strip. It's estimated that 85% of Gazans have fled their homes, thousands of Palestinians have been killed (including far too many children), and 25% of the population is starving. Just as it is important to acknowledge the suffering inflicted on October 7th, it is important to acknowledge the fact that the Gaza strip is a perilous and horrific place right now. Just like with October 7th, I haven't been able to watch many of the pictures/videos showing the aftermath.
Despite the title of this post, I don't actually have a grand plan of how to solve this. Hamas is likely using innocent Palestinians as human shields in a densely populated area, which makes targeted Israeli strikes an impossibility. Rockets continue to fire from Palestine to Israel, making a ceasefire even more challenging and potentially one-sided if Isreal were to stop bombing Gaza.
The only truth that I can conjur up is that genocide does not justify genocide. If you believe an act is evil (and murder is evil!), you have a responsibility not to engage in it. Even if you have been wronged. I recognize that this puts a burden on victims of violence that is unfair and heartbreaking. The only way forward is to acknowledge the pain of your "enemies" - acknowledging that pain is hard. It means seeing humanity in those you have dismissed as fools, dupes, or worse. It means seeking that elusive world peace even when it seems far out of reach.
I hope to see President Biden's administration do more to pressure Israel - protecting the lives of Palestinian civilians is a moral imperative, even despite the horrific nature of the October 7th attacks.
For more on this subject, I recommend reading the wise sermons of Dr. Martin Luther King, who taught so eloquently of the destructive power of hate and the creative transformation of love.
Diana, very thoughtful and well written comment as always. And very timely, as Israel prepares to decimate Rafa. As with most things in the Middle East, unfortunately there are no easy solutions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your basic premises, that the Hamas attack was shocking and horrifying, but also that the response shouldn’t be as shocking and horrifying in return. That is for two reasons. First, simply on humanitarian grounds, recognizing that Palestinians are human beings also, and particularly innocent civilians, especially children, should be protected as much as possible. It seems that that has not always been done, as Israel has not consistently used more targeted bombing to get at Hamas strongholds. The second reason is that, while tempting and arguably justified by Hamas using innocent civilians as human shields, indiscriminate killing is counterproductive. It gives Hamas “bulletin board material,” to use a sports analogy, for Hamas to recruit new soldiers to its cause, thus making it even more difficult to eradicate Hamas (which I’m not sure is realistic in any event). I believe that is one of Secretary Austin’s main points, from his previous experience with urban warfare.
Of course, all this must be considered in light of the fact that Israel lives every day surrounded by several countries that are dedicated to its destruction, and that have extensive resources and weapons.
I will say, I believe the president has walked the tightrope pretty effectively, supporting Israel unwaveringly, but at the same time trying to urge it to restrain its worst impulses (sometimes to his political detriment, read: Dearborn Michigan).
It seems to me that after the inevitable military campaign is over, hopefully soon, the focus should be on the governing structure post-war. How will Gaza be governed? How can Hamas be neutralized in that structure? And how can Israel be better prepared to avoid a repeat of October 7, for which it appears they were not really anticipating or ready for.