If the war stops now, who will bring back our loved ones who were killed in cold blood?
If the war stops now, who will heal our mental health from the multiple traumas and panic attacks?
If the war stops now, who will find the missing half of my friend’s body after bombing him?
If the war stops now, who will recover our physical wounds?
If the war stops now, who will convince me that I may not be killed in the next moments?
If the war stops now, who will erase the color of blood from the White flour bags and the sidewalks?
If the war stops now, who will reassure me that I won’t have to evacuate another five, ten, or thirteen times?
If the war stops now, who will help me cry after my tears have dried up?
If the war stops now, who will assure me that my mom’s medicine will always be available?
If the war stops now, who will stop the drone’s sound in my mind?
If the war stops now, who will change the smell of death lingering in my mind?
If the war stops now, who will rebuild the memories of every corner of my sister’s house, which was bombed and turned into rubble?
If the war stops now, who will compensate me for the days of humiliation spent sleeping in the streets?
If the war stops now, who will assure me I will not be uprooted from my home, neighborhood, or city?
If the war stops now, who will help me find my dead uncle’s grave after the Israeli bulldozer dug up the cemetery?
If the war stops now, who will explain to me that life is not only loss, grief, and pain?
If the war stops now, who will turn the sound of crying into laughter?
If the war stops now, if the war stops now if the war stops now!
Hundreds of questions need to be answered, but the war hasn’t stopped yet, leading to one question: Will I be alive if the war doesn’t stop now?
So tragic.
Needed are insights into how to get to a better future.
If the war stops now, will the Israeli hostages be allowed to return to their families?
If the war stops now, will the kidnappings also stop?
If the war stops now, will the unprovoked rocket fire from Gaza and Lebanon stop for good?
If the war stops now, will the hate-filled, genocidal propaganda on the part of Hezbollah and Hamas also stop?
If the war stops now, will Israelis stop having to worry about being ambushed by people coming after nowhere to stab them to death?
If the war stops now, will Israelis stop having to worry about maniacal motorists coming our of nowhere, trying to run them over?
People who are not blinded by tribal hatred must feel compassion for you and the others in your situation. The only answer I can give to you is to say, “I fear that you will never find most of what you seek.” Americans who are not victims of hatred or ignorance must feel guilt for their collective complicity. I haven’t much positive to offer.
Still, I’m moved to mention an essay by Timothy Snyder in today’s New York Times. He is the professor of history at Yale University who taught many Americans, including myself, about Ukrainian history when his course on that topic was made freely available online. His essay, titled “Freedom Is Not What We Think It Is,” is basically a summary of his latest book, titled On Freedom. The essay in the Times has only the briefest of references to Gaza, but is relevant. It opens:
Those with access to the Times may wish to read the full essay. It is good, but does not offer much hope for you, I fear.
The reality in Gaza is difficult even to watch, much less to live. Tragic. It has been so for a long time. One dreams of a different reality . . . was it ever a possibility? How far back must one go to imagine that? To avoid America’s civil war in the 19th century, I can only imagine a different constitutional convention in the 18th century. To avoid WWII and all that it entailed and caused, I can only imagine different leaders with the wisdom to avoid WWI. We are stuck with the reality we have, including, alas, the leaders we have.
To achieve a better future, knowledge of the past may help. To that end, Rosen Tan has an important story in Haaretz about a book by Shay Hazkani. The story is titled:
‘Not All Jews Longed for a Jewish Supremacist State in the Land of Israel’
Israeli soldiers abhorred violence, the Arabs didn’t want to throw the Jews into the sea. Through letters written in real time, a historian sets forth what those who fought on both sides in the 1948 war actually thought
A short excerpt:
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-09-27/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/not-all-the-jews-longed-for-a-jewish-supremacist-state-in-the-land-of-israel
Correction to my previous post: “Ronen Tal” not “Rosen Tan.” Auto “correct.”