Israel and Palestinians – Where is there hope?

I write this as someone who has followed Holocaust denial, racism and Israeli/Palestinian relations for more than 30 years.  Let me start by saying:

• More than 30 years ago I co-founded Citizens United for Racial Equality in Moncton, New Brunswick to demand a teacher who was a public Holocaust denier be removed from contact with students.  We must never forget the Holocaust.  We must also never forget that the Canadian government, with its racist restrictions on Jewish immigrants was a significant Holocaust participant.  We need to own our historic immoral judgements whether they relate to indigenous people, to blacks, to Jews or to Palestinians or Muslims.
• The October 7 attack by Hamas violated human decency and those responsible need to be removed from positions of responsibility and charged with crimes against humanity.

Regrettably the Ontario NDP Caucus dismissed MPP Sarah Jama for her description of the resulting crisis and war.  That said, Sarah Jama’s statements contain a great deal of truth.  Two good friends and former co-workers who are Jewish would agree with much of what she said.  ( https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/banning-palestine-support-rallies-could-it-happen-in-canada ) For many years the policy the government of Israel has been ‘ten eyes for an eye, ten teeth for a tooth’.  They have practiced brutal revenge with little regard for innocent civilians. They have taken Palestinian land for settlements in violation of international law.  They have strangled the ability of Palestinians to live reasonable lives.  They have killed, as so called collateral damage, many hundreds of Palestinian children. 

Following the outrageous Hamas attack the extreme right wing government of Israel is on a rampage of revenge that has taken thousands of innocent lives.  Beyond the bombs: the Palestinians cannot leave Gaza; they have no power for their hospitals; they have no medicine; they have lost a very large percentage of their homes; they have little or no food for their children; in a hot dry country they have no water.  These are war crimes.  It is genocidal revenge.  This will not produce peace.

As Nelson Mandela once said, “I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else’s freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.”

Israel has a right to defend itself – but no more right to the way they have chosen to do it than Hamas had for their October 7 attack.  Revenge and repression beget counter revenge and more violence.  Canadians have to decide if we support the dignity of human life, and if so, condemn both Hamas and the extreme right government of Israel.  Our outrage cannot be racist.  Condemning the actions of Israel is not anti-sematic nor anti-Jewish.  It is pro humanity.  We must stand beside indigenous people, blacks, Jews, Palestinians and Muslims and repressed people everywhere. 

Sarah Jama has a right to speak her mind as a member of the Ontario NDP.  We do not have to agree with everything she says but we needs to listen and carefully choose what our policy will be.  This conflict needs a permanent ceasefire.  Israel and the Palestinians need peace not revenge.   The world needs to assess crimes against humanity committed by both Hamas and Israel.  We need to reject the choice of escalating violence that has failed in the past to produce peace for either side.  Otherwise we see a future in which neither Jewish people nor Palestinians will see an end to atrocities.

It is time for a cease fire in Israel/Gaza.  It is time to listen the Secretary General of the United Nations.  It is time to listen to our hearts and our consciences.  Doing the right thing takes courage and determination.  Peace is built on the best of what it means to be human.