I keep hearing it said that Jews are being so hateful and spiteful towards Palestinians. They are being told that they need to change in order for this conflict to be resolved. So I have been thinking hard about this question of who is exhibiting hatred to whom……..
This was written by a Jewish friend of mine. He is in his 20’s and has known this conflict his whole life. He was born and raised in Israel and wishes for an end to the conflict but has developed this opinion with regards to the violence of mankind.
“I see plenty of messages and articles talking about the inner hatred we posses, and the need to remove it. Without removing it, there will be no peace, we will always be in a state of conflict.
Yeah so… There never was peace, and probably never will be (until we have one ruler to ruler the entire planet, for the good and bad).
People always seek someone to whom to compare themselves. It might be by religion, race, country of birth, and if the same country, parents’ origin, and even if that is the same, the side of the neighborhood you live on and so on.
Inner violence will always exist, it’s part of our humanity. What we need to do is not suppress it, but control it.
You want a turf war? Form teams and play for supremacy.
You just need to provide a controlled environment/stage to vent your feelings, rather than suppress it just to have it burst outside from an unexpected place.
Easy to do? No. But removing our violent nature? Impossible. So why focus on the impossible?”
The genocidal nature of Hamas is not a logical perspective. It is the barbaric view of ancient warlords, and is also reeks of a malicious evil that we are seeing slithering across Iraq and Syria.
I see my friend’s vision for settling matters is one of hope, more hope than I can muster some days.
He refers to an accusation of possessing an “inner hatred” but I have seen nothing of the sort. Among Israelis, I have seen an inner resolve to survive, to succeed but not a resolve for vengeance. This hatred is an accusation, but it is a baseless accusation.
Is there anger? Frustration? I believe so. I also believe these are well founded. When I read in the news that Iran has figured out how to out maneuver the Iron Dome and are attempting to arm Hamas accordingly, my heart sinks. The Iron Dome is not a weapon of aggression. Its sole purpose is self defence. The only reason there would be to out maneuver it is to cause greater harm and loss to the very people who are being accused of being hateful.
Israel has gone to great lengths to protect all who live there – Jews, Muslims, Christians and people who adhere to no religion. All are equally protected under the Iron Dome. Now that very thing that has already saved an unknown number of lives is being targeted.
This is nothing but pure evil to attempt to out maneuver such a life-saving system.
Hamas is not only using schools, mosques, private homes and people to hide behind and throw in front of incoming Israeli shelling with reckless disregard for the lives at stake. Instead of seeking a way to compromise and end the violence, they are also wasting their creativity and human potential by collaborating with others to find ways to increase the loss of life.
In this diabolical strategizing, they still have the audacity to accuse Israelis of being hateful and aggressive. Israel shelters not only Jews, she also shelters Muslims. Israeli doctors provide life saving care to Palestinians who are brought to them. Hamas has targeted a field hospital made for the sole purpose of treating Palestinians. Hamas is even targeting its own wounded because of its hate for Israel.
Hamas fires rockets from civilian structures to draw Israeli fire to those places, sacrificing women and children because of their hatred.
I read the breathtakingly horrifying report of what Hamas was planning by tunnelling under the kibbutzim near the Gaza border. It takes an especially evil hatred even to make such a plan.
Who is harbouring inner hatred? My dear friend, as you search your soul for a way to address this “inner hatred” take heart that your will to survive is not hate. Your anger, frustration and fear at knowing there is an entity whose sole purpose is to try to destroy you is also not hate.
The hatred that is poisoning cultures known for their beauty and hospitality is the seething, festering hatred exhibited by Hamas and those radical Jihadi groups who loosely ally with Hamas, until they get a chance to turn on each other like a pack of snarling rabid dogs in their unholy quest to have enough power to achieve complete destruction of all who would stand in their way.
Israel stands as a beacon of hope to the world that these demonic forces will not win in the end.
Her stand against Hamas means everything. Now is not the time for Jews to be guilted into trying to exorcise their supposed inner hatred. Now is the time to survive.
