Nothing could ever excuse the beheading and burning of babies. Bodies hacked into pieces. Women raped and paraded around while Gaza celebrates.
You are out of your depth.
I am all for peace and love, but check your facts first. Palestinians are gainfully employed in Israel. Far from being poor and desolate, Gaza was thriving and would have further flourished if only its denizens hadn't chosen terrorism over collaboration.
If I dare going into Palestinian territory, I am as good as dead.
So, before you go into this hypocritical rant about what you think we should do, check the facts.
Living in Israel is simple, just don't blow up buses, restaurants, cafés... if you do that, yeah, we'll have to protect our people.
The Holy Land is indeed a place of worship for all religions. Only one, it seems has this tendency to blow things up and behead people. Wait, actually, innocent people.
People who helped the residents of Gaza get decent jobs and top notch medical care.
Don't pretend to know anything about the trauma of the Jewish people, it's of very bad taste and extremely condescending.
Israeli soldiers do not rape anyone, or behead innocent civilians.
Comes a time when we should at least be afforded the right to bury our deads without everyone expressing their thoughts on the matter.
What happened in Israel was worse than 9/11, and back then, no one, absolutely no one rushed to defend the side of whoever highjacked and crashed those planes.
But can we please stop highlighting the persecution of the Jews as if no other people faced a similar horrific experience? What is being done the land's indigenous people (the Palestinians) is no less horrific. Armenians were boiled to death by the Turks, the Crusades decimated much of the culture and intellectual contributions of the Muslim faith and there is suppression in many countries we pay little attention to. Fighting back with the power of mighty weapons against an unarmed, suppressed and humiliated people, whose only fault was giving up their country for the return of those who at one time opted to leave. Violence of any kind is as you say, inexcusable. And speaking in balanced terms is important. Thank you.
This is a hopeful article. As healers, we need to unite and not compete for whose tragedy was worse. They are all horrific. I have a friend in Gaza and friends in Israel and they are all effected by this war. The generational trauma needs to be acknowledged and can’t be solved with more violence. We need to focus on being kind, empathetic and collectively find forgiveness, not compete for whose pain is worse. It’s all bad and we are all responsible for it (especially in the US). This is empowering because we can contribute to a path of healing, if that’s the goal. I hope we can see each other as human someday soon. Ceasefire and Peace!
It is a little complicated. Hamas has as a primary religious principle that the Holy Land, in its entirety, must be reclaimed from non-Muslims, by whatever means necessary. It is written black and white in their founding constitution. For them, this is a spiritual pursuit, something they are willing and happy to sacrifice their own lives and the lives of their children for. There are other flavors of the same convictions in the the modern Muslim world. What should convince them that the spirituality we subscribe to should replace their current version? In fact, how do we even know that our version is more correct? Are we willing and happy to sacrifice our lives, literally, for our principles?
I'm playing devil's advocate, of course. But these are real questions that don't have simple answers.
That said, I do thank you for the piece you wrote, and share your hope that history will, finally, turn a corner and start exploring a new direction.
Thank you for this article, very special. I lived in Jerusalem for 9 years and was a grass-roots Peacmaker. I am praying now with thousands of people around the World for Peace in the Holyland and the World.!
Thank you Stephen. Yes we must stop the "othering" and grasp the simple truth that we are all human beings and must fairly share our planet. Towards this end here are articles of mine:
Sovereignty, World Order and the Earth Rights Imperative
“There is one human story. Dressed in new clothing and using new tools, we endlessly relive it. If we read philosophy, literature, history, poetry, and theology – we see greed, hedonism, and hubris easily defeat empathy and reason.” – The Last Act of the Human Comedy – Chris Hedges
“The most important point to be made here is that as long as we remain egocentric beings, there shall always be sociopaths and psychopaths among us, who inevitably rise to authority driven by selfishness, greed, and apathy – who then capsize their entire sphere of influence despite the best intentions of all the rest of us. This perpetual cycle can only continue its descent until we undergo the spiritual and cultural transformation available by transmuting the egocentricity at its root.” – The Everyone Project
Please don't be naive and fall for the "poverty and dehumanization" is what caused any of this. It was sheer, constant indoctrination. We are dealing with a literal cult. Hamas is taught to adore death and to hate Jews. Literally. It is imbibed with mother's milk that you will achieve honor for your family by killing Jews.
Your written piece is beautiful, and I agree with it, but in order to fix this we have to call it what it is. A death cult.
Lies... sugar-coated lies.
Nothing could ever excuse the beheading and burning of babies. Bodies hacked into pieces. Women raped and paraded around while Gaza celebrates.
You are out of your depth.
I am all for peace and love, but check your facts first. Palestinians are gainfully employed in Israel. Far from being poor and desolate, Gaza was thriving and would have further flourished if only its denizens hadn't chosen terrorism over collaboration.
If I dare going into Palestinian territory, I am as good as dead.
So, before you go into this hypocritical rant about what you think we should do, check the facts.
Living in Israel is simple, just don't blow up buses, restaurants, cafés... if you do that, yeah, we'll have to protect our people.
The Holy Land is indeed a place of worship for all religions. Only one, it seems has this tendency to blow things up and behead people. Wait, actually, innocent people.
People who helped the residents of Gaza get decent jobs and top notch medical care.
Don't pretend to know anything about the trauma of the Jewish people, it's of very bad taste and extremely condescending.
Israeli soldiers do not rape anyone, or behead innocent civilians.
Comes a time when we should at least be afforded the right to bury our deads without everyone expressing their thoughts on the matter.
What happened in Israel was worse than 9/11, and back then, no one, absolutely no one rushed to defend the side of whoever highjacked and crashed those planes.
We deserve at least that.
Thank you for your view.
But can we please stop highlighting the persecution of the Jews as if no other people faced a similar horrific experience? What is being done the land's indigenous people (the Palestinians) is no less horrific. Armenians were boiled to death by the Turks, the Crusades decimated much of the culture and intellectual contributions of the Muslim faith and there is suppression in many countries we pay little attention to. Fighting back with the power of mighty weapons against an unarmed, suppressed and humiliated people, whose only fault was giving up their country for the return of those who at one time opted to leave. Violence of any kind is as you say, inexcusable. And speaking in balanced terms is important. Thank you.
This is a hopeful article. As healers, we need to unite and not compete for whose tragedy was worse. They are all horrific. I have a friend in Gaza and friends in Israel and they are all effected by this war. The generational trauma needs to be acknowledged and can’t be solved with more violence. We need to focus on being kind, empathetic and collectively find forgiveness, not compete for whose pain is worse. It’s all bad and we are all responsible for it (especially in the US). This is empowering because we can contribute to a path of healing, if that’s the goal. I hope we can see each other as human someday soon. Ceasefire and Peace!
It is a little complicated. Hamas has as a primary religious principle that the Holy Land, in its entirety, must be reclaimed from non-Muslims, by whatever means necessary. It is written black and white in their founding constitution. For them, this is a spiritual pursuit, something they are willing and happy to sacrifice their own lives and the lives of their children for. There are other flavors of the same convictions in the the modern Muslim world. What should convince them that the spirituality we subscribe to should replace their current version? In fact, how do we even know that our version is more correct? Are we willing and happy to sacrifice our lives, literally, for our principles?
I'm playing devil's advocate, of course. But these are real questions that don't have simple answers.
That said, I do thank you for the piece you wrote, and share your hope that history will, finally, turn a corner and start exploring a new direction.
Thank you for this article, very special. I lived in Jerusalem for 9 years and was a grass-roots Peacmaker. I am praying now with thousands of people around the World for Peace in the Holyland and the World.!
Thank you Stephen. Yes we must stop the "othering" and grasp the simple truth that we are all human beings and must fairly share our planet. Towards this end here are articles of mine:
Sovereignty, World Order and the Earth Rights Imperative
https://alannahartzok.substack.com/p/financing-planet-management-part
Palestine Israel - Cutting the Gordian Knot
https://alannahartzok.substack.com/p/palestine-israel-cutting-the-gordian
Zionism and Land
https://alannahartzok.substack.com/p/zionism-and-land
Thank you for your insight and understanding of the wounds and traumas underlying these conflicts. We must ask for spiritual intervention 🙏
“There is one human story. Dressed in new clothing and using new tools, we endlessly relive it. If we read philosophy, literature, history, poetry, and theology – we see greed, hedonism, and hubris easily defeat empathy and reason.” – The Last Act of the Human Comedy – Chris Hedges
“The most important point to be made here is that as long as we remain egocentric beings, there shall always be sociopaths and psychopaths among us, who inevitably rise to authority driven by selfishness, greed, and apathy – who then capsize their entire sphere of influence despite the best intentions of all the rest of us. This perpetual cycle can only continue its descent until we undergo the spiritual and cultural transformation available by transmuting the egocentricity at its root.” – The Everyone Project
https://bohobeau.net/2021/01/29/woke-world/
Please don't be naive and fall for the "poverty and dehumanization" is what caused any of this. It was sheer, constant indoctrination. We are dealing with a literal cult. Hamas is taught to adore death and to hate Jews. Literally. It is imbibed with mother's milk that you will achieve honor for your family by killing Jews.
Your written piece is beautiful, and I agree with it, but in order to fix this we have to call it what it is. A death cult.