While I am writing this piece in Kuwait, I hear the swish of drones flying over my head, from and to Iran, Israel and US military bases in the region. It is a good example of the power of arms. But it is far below the power of thought.
The indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu is not noted for historical wisdom, but he inadvertently fell on the analogy between Genghis Khan and Jesus Christ — that is, between the power of arms and the power of thought.
The power of arms is short lived. It dissipates and vanishes within a short time when its source cannot maintain its power. History is replete with such examples. Hitler is a good example. Netanyahu and Zionism are examples in the making.
The power of thought is long lasting. Today, we have billions of people adhering to Christianity and Islam without the power of arms controlling them.
I have witnessed the path of both.
Since 1948, when I became a refugee at the age of ten, after the Zionist invasion of Palestine, I witnessed and lived through the experience of al Nakba of 1948, the Tripartite Aggression of 1956, the River Jordan diversion crisis in 1964 when Israel built the National Water Carrier, the attacks on Lebanon 1982 and 2006, the Intifada (1987- 2005), the October War of 1973, the Iraq Invasion of Kuwait of 1990, the Great Return March of 2014 to 2018, the attempted return of Gaza refugees to their homes in October 2023.
None of these events, however murderous, changed the equation.
Israel attacks Palestine and countries in the region, assisted by the US, to achieve the permanent aim of their subordination. It failed to achieve it in 7 decades so far. Its enmity is entrenched in the region. Its position in the world as a Pariah state is confirmed. It failed to see the power of arms is not permanent.
The power of thought, that is, based on peace and justice, is absent from the mindset of Zionism. On the other hand, Palestinians never waivered in their determination to return home.
In the world stage, the picture is clearer. There are about 2 billion Christians in the world. They followed the message of Jesus Christ which began 2000 years ago and will continue to do so.
There are about 2 billion Muslims today. They followed the message of Muhammad which began 15 centuries ago. They are arguably today the fastest adherents of any religion.
The legacy of Israel in the last 7 decades is based on occupation, murder, ethnic cleansing, and Genocide.
In the same period, Palestinians grew from 1.5 million to 15 million. Today half of them live in their homeland but under occupation and Apartheid.
The other half is scattered in the world, representing the silenced Palestine. There are many luminaries to represent them while not in their occupied homeland, like Edward Said, Ghada Karmi, Susan Abulhawa and many others. They spread the true story worldwide.
Today the Palestinians have the largest number of PhD holders per population in the world. They succeed wherever they go: in politics, science and finance. Yet Israel, the country now populated by new East European immigrants, deprives them from the Right to return home.
The cry Free Palestine fills the streets of the world cities as never before. To Palestinians, the Right of Return is sacred, legal and inevitable. They will not give it up and no doubt they will achieve it.
Hence, the power of thought will win over the power of arms.
The Israeli land thieves continue to destroy Palestinian homes, kill Palestinians, displace Palestinian people. When will the ICC, ICJ start to arrest these Israeli terrorist when they travel? Put them on trial at the Hague …..illegal Jewish Israeli land thieves…war criminals.
They keep committing their horrific war crimes in the West Bank
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palestinians-west-bank-israeli-settlers-attacks-iran-war
“Displacement of Palestinians from attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the first two and half months of 2026 has already reached about 95 per cent of the total recorded in the whole of 2025, the UN said. Israeli authorities have also severely intensified restrictions on movement since the start of the Iran war, effectively putting the West Bank on lockdown with more barriers and checkpoints, while settlers have also been closing entrances to many Palestinian villages and towns.
“I didn’t know what to do, should I stay with my family and protect them or go to put out the fire?” Issa said. “My children are in such a bad psychological condition, they are in constant fear, I keep distracting them, and comforting them but what do my words mean in front of the daily reality that they see?”
Israeli soldiers, who frequently attack Palestinian communities themselves, have stood by during settler attacks. Unarmed Palestinians have taken to trying to patrol their villages themselves to try and protect their communities. “The world has turned a blind eye—we were left alone long before the [Iran] war, these attacks especially here in Jaloud and Qaryoot were vicious and continuous, the settlers do whatever they want because they are supported. We have been left alone,” Issa said.
The situation is worse in the southern part of the West Bank. Hebron governorate has had the highest number of settler attacks, according to the CWRC, with 47 in the two weeks after the Iran war began. Many of those attacks are concentrated on Masafer Yatta, a cluster of Palestinian villages in the South Hebron Hills that has been turned into a place of “unbearable suffering,” according to Mohammad Rabai, the head of the Al-Twane village council. During a 10-minute phone interview, Rabai was interrupted five times by phone calls from pe
“The cry Free Palestine fills the streets of the world cities as never before. To Palestinians, the Right of Return is sacred, legal and inevitable. They will not give it up and no doubt they will achieve it.
Hence, the power of thought will win over the power of arms.”
The Pope on Palm Sunday:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWkmnAOipCQ/
ope Leo XIV said no one can use God to “justify war” during a Palm Sunday address in St Peter’s Square attended by tens of thousands.
He said God “rejects” the prayers of “those who wage war”. Quoting a passage from the Old Testament, he added: “[God] will not listen; your hands are full of blood.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/DWi2axsElBg/
dalailama
1d
I wholeheartedly endorse the powerful appeal for peace made by the Holy Father, Pope Leo, during his Palm Sunday Mass. His call for the laying down of arms and the renunciation of violence resonated profoundly with me, as it speaks to the very essence of what all major religions teach.
Indeed, whether we look to Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism or any of the world’s great spiritual traditions, the message is fundamentally the same: love, compassion, tolerance, and self-discipline. Violence finds no true home in any of these teachings. History has shown us time and again that violence only begets more violence and is never a lasting foundation for peace.
An enduring resolution to conflict, including the ones we see in the Middle East or between Russia and Ukraine, must be rooted in dialogue, diplomacy and mutual respect — approached with the understanding that, at the deepest level, we are all brothers and sisters.
I urge for and pray that the violence and conflicts may soon come to an end.
DALAI LAMA
31 March 2026
Important watch and listen:
Chris Hedges Q&A at Princeton University: Iran, Gaza and the Future of American Foreign Policy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vThLmEH-U8I
80% of Jewish Israelis are native born.