israelilefty · Today 22:16
Argh, so, I tried to go to bed then realised that I want to write one very personal post in response to the questions about what's going on in Gaza, whether one life is more valuable than another, and so on. I hope you will appreciate that this is a very raw and honest post that it's very hard to write, but I hope it gives some kind of an answer. I really don't want to get into conversation about the below, but it's important for me to say:
For some context: I'm on the left of Israeli politics. For reasons I can't go into without outing myself, I know Palestinian society and politics pretty well. I've read Mahmoud Darwish, Mourid Barghouti and Ghassan Kanfani, and I've demonstrated against the occupation, a lot of times. I believe that nobody, Israeli or Palestinian, is going anywhere and we need to find a way to live on this land that respects the lands and aspirations of both peoples.
But: like all Israelis, since 7.10 I've been living in a state of shock. Even in my personal circle of friends, the impact of this conflict is ungraspable: how many people are displaced from their homes and have lost family members and loved ones. The utter shock of living through a period of national crisis where for a few days, the state just fell apart. Trying to do all the regular routines of normal life while refreshing the news to figure out whether the rockets have reached your area or not, where you can donate blood. Everywhere you turn you are reminded that well over 100 hostages, some of them friends of friends, remain in Gaza; and every day the news brings horrors which were simply.... unimaginable. And all of that is just my life which, compared to many other Israelis, is relatively unaffected by the conflict.
That's all context to say three things. First: I know what's going on in Gaza. I read the news. Second, and I mean this in a real way, not in any way a callous way: I don't have good answers to your questions because it's simply impossible for the heart to hold more. When you ask an individual caught up in a conflict to hold the losses of the other side in their heart, you are asking something that is beyond the human capacity. A while back someone asked about social media posts. One thing I've noticed more than anything in this conflict is how little Israelis have been posting. We don't even have words for our own grief, let alone the grief of others. The time will come for that. I respectfully ask any of you who have not experienced violent conflict first hand to bear in mind that it's a privilege to be able to sit outside the "frame" and weigh up the situation. So: I try to keep up with the news but at the same time, I don't have good answers to your questions, because it feels like a grim situation with no good outcome: attacking Hamas has a devastating death toll, but a ceasefire which leaves Hamas's military capacity intact leaves them able to do something like 7.10 again. Third: even if I did have a good answer for you, it wouldn't make any difference. For some reason I don't think Netanyahu and the IDF chief of staff are consulting Mumsnet. I strongly believe that I need to invest every effort into making any influence that I can that might prevent such conflicts happening again, but while it's happening, it feels like a massive ball is rolling down a mountain: the conflict is playing out and all I can do is watch from the side - and since I'm a religious person, to pray that we may move closer to a peaceful situation, both in the short and long term
This is such a considered response. I completely agree that what is going on in your country - and before 7/10 - is unimaginable to us. I feel so frustrated that so many Israelis were murdered, raped, displaced and where was the outrage? Instead there was a sense in some parts of the media - and the UN - that this was somehow deserved. In less than 100 years we have gone from the post Holocaust of “this must never happen again” to there being widespread antisemitism.
I cannot imagine life in the midst of such a complex and sensitive ongoing conflict. How ever much I read, whatever I study and research I’m just not qualified to express a strong opinion on this because it’s not the same as living it.I feel all mainstream media has an agenda - the left leaning broadsheets peddle an agenda just as much as the right wing tabloids do. There is an embracing of left leaning journalism as somehow true; it isn’t necessarily.
I think it’s very brave of you to post this OP and to put your head above the parapet to answer questions about an intensely personal, painful and complex period in the history of your country and community.
I’m not Jewish but over the years she has many Jewish friends and associates. I’m appalled by what’s happening and the casual antisemitism that’s been increasing for years.