The fragile “temporary” truce existing between Israel and Hamas to facilitate an exchange of hostages for prisoners ought to serve as motivation towards finding a permanent solution. However, that requires sanity from all factions, a commodity in seemingly short supply in the Middle East.
Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Watching the endless cycles of Israel/Palestinian bloodshed has Einstein sounding like an observant genius.
Israel and Hamas taking a short time-out from killing each other to exchange people they love presents a macabre paradox. A subsequent return to warfare will guarantee there will never be an end to the heart-breaking stories arising from these hostilities. The decades-old conflict flared when approximately 1,200 Israelis were murdered, and we are approaching 15,000 Palestinian deaths in retaliation in Gaza with hundreds more having been killed in the West Bank.
Gaza has reported over 5,000 children are dead; many are buried under the rubble with close to 1,000 additional infants being maimed from amputation(s). This responsive rage from an embarrassed Israel isn’t eliminating its enemies — more are created with every Palestinian death. Both sides have excelled at causing profound loss.
War is an atrocious way to solve problems, yet Israel claims it must continue its hellish assault until Hamas is extinguished. That will never happen when you promote an apartheid system combined with relentless disenfranchisement of Palestinian land and liberty. You can’t kill the soul of a people absent complete genocide. Israel will never have peace until it reaches an accord with the Palestinians that recognizes their right to live in dignity within an independent state. If anyone ought to understand this it is the Jewish people.
The battle between Israel and the Palestinians won’t be won through armed conflict. However, Hamas has succeeded in focusing attention upon the plight of its people. The apartheid system, the jailing of Palestinians for lengthy periods without trial, and the disproportionate death and destruction wrought by Israel in response to October 7th are turning world opinion against the Jewish nation. Many inside Israel have also voiced opposition to their government’s policies towards the Palestinians.
Both sides have engaged in propaganda to justify their actions, but the photos from carpet- bombed Gaza decry Israel’s claim that its response is solely targeted upon Hamas. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza will expand as long as Israel continues indiscriminate bombing. This madness must end.
Our politicians should require accountability from Israel in exchange for any further financial and military support. The mistreatment of Palestinians won’t change until political and economic pressures are brought upon Israel to change its policies. An apartheid system in South Africa was eliminated due to worldwide pressure and the same could occur in Israel.
America should not be providing Israel a blank check to continue its apartheid and genocidal policies. As the wanton bloodshed has mounted, President Biden recently said he is willing to consider imposing “conditions” upon granting further aid to Israel. That’s the least that ought to occur, but it would be a start in the right direction.
