There’s a lot of angry rhetoric on here, and not a lot of genuine understanding, compassion and empathy. And very little nuance.
For context; my wife and I said goodbye this morning to her nephew and his girlfriend; they’ve been over visiting, and were hoping to go to watch Arsenal play Man City this afternoon. When news broke yesterday morning, all they could do was sit glued to their phones, waiting for any information from friends and family in Israel. They then went out to meet up with friends, again to sit glued to their ‘phones. My wife’s nephew is a reservist, and has been recalled to serve. They were meant to be going home on Monday; that flight has been canceled and they are now sitting in Heathrow airport along with hundreds of other Israelis desperately trying to get home. My wife is wondering if this is the last time she’ll ever see him. His mum is today attending the funeral of one of his sister’s friends; murdered at a party by Hamas militants. This is likely not the last funeral this family will attend, over the coming days, weeks and months. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by this tragedy.
Until now, most young Israelis see very little of actual combat; the war is distant and removed from their lives. Suddenly, war has been visited upon the more affluent secular middle classes in the big cities. Now, it is real, and incredibly close.
Israel is not one nation together; it is becoming increasingly divided and fractured. There is growing resentment from secular Israelis, towards the religious right, who manage to skip the otherwise mandatory conscription, to pursue ‘religious studies’. The last year has been marked by massive weekly demonstrations against the now very far-right government, who want to overhaul the judiciary to make the passage of power easier to those on the far-right. Many in Israel are likening this to fascism.
These attacks have come at a time when Israel is at its weakest possibly at any time in its history. There is no surprise the attacks have taken place; if you beat and abuse a dog long enough, don’t be surprised when it comes back and bites you. The only surprise is just how unprepared the Israeli authorities were; such an attack is unprecedented. The swiftness, scale and brutality of the attacks is also unprecedented; Hamas militants rarely venture far into Israeli territory, and seldom with such vigour and speed. But these attacks only mirror what Palestinians have been enduring for decades; midnight raids, beatings, torture etc. To those only speaking of Hamas’ atrocities, I’d ask why your silence on those committed by the IDF? This is one of the most one-sided conflicts in history, and the tactics being used by Hamas have been learned undoubtedly from their Israeli oppressors. The rape of women, the murder of children; Israeli forces know all about that. That’s being going on for as long as this conflict has. If you condemn the actions of Hamas, then you must also condemn those of the Israeli forces. Why aren’t you? The response from Western governments has been unsurprising; the same cowardly platitudes about Israel ‘defending itself, yet silence over the same rights of Palestinians. Hamas exists because of the brutality meted out by Israel. There is no space for liberalism in war. We don’t have to condone their actions by understanding them.
As we sit behind our keyboards, venting our own frustrations, insecurities and inadequacies, innocent people are dying. It doesn’t matter which side; nobody has the moral high ground here. But one side has far greater numbers, and a far, far more deadly arsenal. And one side has the constant backing of the West. And what are we in the West doing about it? Whilst the money flows, whilst we continue to benefit from the rich vein of technological progress Israel has to offer, whilst those in power do what suits their interests to shore up power, nothing will change. And more innocent people will die.
