There are pitfalls to “solidarity tours” of Israel in the wake of October 7th; this one tried, albeit imperfectly, to avoid them. The trick is to cultivate compassion and understanding for both Israelis and Palestinians at this terrible time.
This is about two must-read analyses that together explain why the Israel-Hamas war began and why it’s so difficult to end.
We’re delighted to find new Palestinian voices who, like us, insist on respecting the needs and feeling the pain of people on both sides, denouncing extremists and appreciating the complexities of the conflict.
A confederation of Israel and Palestine would be a two-state solution with a “crucial twist,” akin to sovereign states which are members of the European Union.
Zahra Sakkejha and her peers wore purple T-shirts and held signs that read, “Free the Hostages, “Ceasefire Now,” “Diplomacy Now,” and “Not One More Drop of Blood!” They chanted, “In Gaza, in Tel Aviv, all the children want to live!”
The deaths of children and other innocents in Gaza, mostly from US-supplied weaponry, are what’s driving campus protests. Too many non-combatants have died, but Israel is not trying to exterminate the Palestinian people.
Israel has expelled Al Jazeera. Defenders of Israel regard it as the Middle East’s only democracy, but democracies don’t generally ban press coverage.
This is an abridged version of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s bold speech on the floor of the US Senate, urging steps toward a lasting peace through a two-state solution; this also links to the speech in its entirety.
There’s a refusal by some on the left to denounce Hamas as a violent terror group that not only committed a vile atrocity against Israelis, but has exercised authoritarian violence against Gazans for over 17 years. [Posted by permission of the Forward]
Despite its horrors, the Israel-Hamas war provides a new opportunity for diplomatic solutions; but that won’t happen if Netanyahu remains in power.
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