Blame Is Not Always Equal
I have been engaging on social media with a number of people who see things very differently from me in civil back-and-forths about what’s going on in Israel. It is time consuming, but I think it’s very important to say something when you believe people are not getting the full story. It needs to be done in a respectful way of course, and it’s clear pretty quickly who can dialogue amicably and who can’t. I don’t engage with people who only want to spread hate — there’s little use. But lots of people are genuinely interested in peace, and they are simply forming their opinions based on the information and perspectives that they have been exposed to. Sadly, there is far more anti-Israel propaganda out there than facts.
I believe that the vast majority of Palestinians are good and honest people just like the rest of us, but unfortunately, there are also those who have been so blinded by hate that they will say or do anything, regardless of facts or truth. The most obvious example I’ve seen of this in the past couple days is the “funeral procession” where a group of Palestinians is carrying a child who has been “killed” by “Israeli aggression”. Suddenly, a siren goes off and they drop the kid and run off. Miraculously, the kid is “resurrected” and he jumps up and runs after them.
In one of the conversations I’ve been having, a very nice guy had commented on the senselessness of the Israeli aggression. I provided some context of the weeks of Palestinian violence and incitement that led up to Israel’s actions, and we have had a very rational discussion. I suggested that the Palestinian people are the victims of their corrupt and murderous leadership, and he agreed. He then countered that the same could be said of the Israelis, implying that Netanyahu and Likkud are also guilty of intentionally exploiting and exacerbating the conflict for political gain. This is a common refrain I’ve seen in the US and European press, but this type of equation just doesn’t stand up.
The desire to see both perspectives does not mean that we have to find equal blame on each side. Of course there are “bad guys” in every group. Tragically, there have been ultra-nationalist Israelis who have reacted to the violence against Jews in recent days by responding in kind. Innocent Arabs were attacked by these groups of young Jews, and this is absolutely horrific! The difference is that this has received vehement censure from 99.9% of Israelis, and the perpetrators have been arrested.
To equate Likkud with Hamas is not tenable. However one feels about Netanyahu, there is no way to suggest that he is a colonist or imperialist. If Israel wanted all of the land, they could have had it and could take it any time. Netanyahu, like almost all Israelis, is willing to co-exist and simply wants defensible borders. Hamas, on the other hand, makes it very clear that coexistence is out of the question. So yes, we can recognize that there are complicated forces swirling in politics always, but no, we cannot ascribe the same vitriol and perversion to the Israeli leadership as we can to the Palestinian leadership. Throughout the history of the state of Israel, Israel has proven time and again its willingness to negotiate for peace (returning the Sinai to Egypt, and pulling its people out of Gaza are just two blatant examples). Unfortunately, there is no one for them to make peace with because any Palestinians who advocate compromise are labeled collaborators and they are either killed or marginalized.
What’s happening now in Israel is complicated, but there is a clear right and wrong. Israel is defending itself against a self-proclaimed enemy who is, and always has been, dedicated to the annihilation of every Jew “between the (Jordan) river and the (Mediterranean) sea.” Palestinians in general are not the bad guys, but their terrorist leadership that is lobbing thousands of missiles into civilian centers are. Israel is defending itself by surgically targeting those bad guys — unfortunately, they launch their rockets from schools and hospitals and use their children and civilians as human shields so that Israel will inevitably kill innocents when it tries to protect itself. This is tragic, as Golda Meir once said, “we can forgive you for killing our sons, but we will never forgive you for making us kill yours.”
It is admirable to try to find the good in everything and everyone and to seek our common humanity. However, sometimes people have been raised and indoctrinated with so much hate that they are not “just like us.” They don’t want to merely live and let live. They want to kill and/or dominate any who do not share their beliefs. We can certainly feel sorry for them that they have become so jaded and vicious. We can even try to empathize with them and try to elicit the humanity that is hidden deep within them. However, there is a point at which we must defend ourselves from them if they are not open to dialogue or negotiation. We needn’t blame both sides for every conflict. We must do our best to stretch and sacrifice for reconciliation, but sadly, there are sometimes those who are just unwilling to make peace.