In this post I want to begin by stating unequivocally that I am not antisemitic. No way. Anybody who thinks that after reading what I shall write here will be making a bigoted judgement that says more about them than it says about me.
Let's start by going back to October 7th 2023. What happened that day in southern Israel was wicked and unjustifiable. Hundreds of Hamas fighters spilled over the border from Gaza and killed 1200 Israeli nationals - including many young people who were attending a joyous music festival. Over 250 innocent Israeli civilians were kidnapped, later to be used as bargaining chips - hostages. Although this cruelty did not happen in a vacuum - there was of course a historical context - it was nevertheless very, very wrong and an affront - not just to Israel but to humanity as a whole.
When a family, a community or a country is wronged, the quest for vengeance is very natural. Consequently, it came as no great surprise when Israel with its military might sought their revenge. Hamas had to pay for what it had done.
Yes - that is perfectly understandable but here's the rub. Israel's vengeance appears to have had little restraint. They have bombed the Gaza strip to virtual destruction. It didn't seem to matter if Palestinian fatalities were young or old, men or women, members of Hamas or ordinary citizens. Spokespeople for The Israeli Defence Force have repeatedly justified every fatal attack - usually by claiming - frequently without evidence - that they were targeting members of Hamas or Hamas fighters or Hamas command centres.
The killing and the destruction goes on. It is now calculated that 50,810 residents of Gaza have been killed including over 500 children. The Israeli bombing has targeted schools, hospitals and refugee camps as well as residential blocks and aid workers. No mercy has been shown in spite of attempts at establishing lasting truces. And under the current American presidency, it is as if Benjamin Netanyahu and his right wing cabinet have been given licence to simply carry on. Not "Drill baby drill!" but "Kill baby kill!"
The revenge figures are too high, far outweighing the initial horror of October 7th. Where will this all end? History should have taught us many lessons about revenge killing and wanton destruction. You cannot obliterate ideas with bombs and bullets and so it will be with Hamas.
The current American president thinks of the Gaza Strip as a nice piece of Mediterranean real estate with great potential for development - perhaps hotels, casinos, an airport and a golf course or two. But it is not - it is the home of two million displaced people who had nowhere else to go - people with hopes and dreams just like you and me. Now they dwell in a ruinous wasteland that smells of death and nobody seems to care very much.
But shhhh! Let's not talk about it.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/yKDOrYS
