Another month, and still Netanyahu’s war in Gaza drags on.
Another month, still the people of Gaza are starving, caught between two foes, neither of whom care about feeding those in desperate need, preferring to exploit their need for propaganda in the case of Hamas for domestic political games in the case of the Netanyahu Government.
Another month, and still the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the Gazan detainees held by Israel (most of whom are not connected to Hamas) languish in captivity.
Another month, still Western Governments talk but do not put sufficient pressure on Netanyahu and Hamas to stop the killing in Gaza.
It is nearly two years since Hamas staged their murderous raid into Israel, killing over 1,000 Israelis & taking over 200 hostage. Nearly two years since Israel’s retaliation started, a retaliation that has killed tens of thousands of Gazans, destroyed most of the small enclave’s infrastructure and left those still alive facing a famine.
As someone who believes that there is a way for Palestine and Israel to share the land both call home, these last two years have been painful beyond belief. The extremists on both sides have taken control and they feed off each other to enforce their catastrophic vision on their people.
Meanwhile on both sides, growing numbers reject the vision of the extremists and instead call for an end to the violence. In Israel, each day tens of thousands (and on Saturday evenings hundreds of thousands) take to the street to protest against Netanyahu’s Government; in Gaza, where those who oppose the war face attacks from both Hamas and the IDF, brave people are nevertheless standing up to shout “Enough.”
These last two years have been the hardest possible for those of us who desperately want a better future for those who live between the River and the Sea.
However, I believe that the this war , which shows all what waits in store if the extremists are allowed to control Palestine and Israel, will be the last and that Palestinians and Israelis are tired of the endless war, endless killing, and endless destruction that has blighted both peoples for over 100 years. While any future for Palestine and Israel must include mutual recognition of the trauma each has caused the other, that future can also bring a peace that allows both to share the land they call home, side by side. Living thousands of miles from the area, we must help both peoples in achieving that future, and not allow the wrongs (from both sides) to imprison them in conflict for years to come.
In a couple of weeks, we will be at Conference in Bournemouth and on the Saturday at 1 pm, LDfPME, in conjunction with Solutions not Sides, are hosting our first Fringe event Building Bridges for Middle East Peace. If you are in Bournemouth please join us as it will be outside the Conference secure zone.
Also in Bournemouth, I have arranged a Peace Vigil that will be on Sunday at 1 pm, outside the Conference Venue on the pavement. It will only last 30 minutes but will give us a chance to show our horror at the war, that it is still going on and our horror at the humanitarian disaster that is happening.