UNHOLY WAR

Violence destroys the conscience and renders us captive to the reptilian mind within

- Dilip Simeon

The truth never dies but is made to live as a beggar: Yiddish proverb 

PREVENTING

Palestine is the title of a book by Seth Anziska about the Israel/Palestine conflict. These two words sum up Western strategy towards Palestinian aspirations till this day. Fifty-six years after the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank (1967); 45 years after the Camp David Accords (1978), the Palestinians of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem remain stateless non-citizens, suspended between limited autonomy and encroachment of Israeli settlements.

The author of an opinion piece on December 8, presented an argument about the ferocity of Israel’s response to Hamas’ October 7 attack. He argued that brutal sexual assaults on Israeli women by Hamas became evident after the hostage releases, and this reinforced the ferocity of the Israeli response. In a sense he is right, once violence takes over, we have entered the domain of evil. Communal violence reduces everyone to their identity—even Israeli peace activists became targets on October 7. 

Hamas men who committed horrific sexual crimes on October 7 embraced evil, and all those who sympathise with the Palestinian struggle against a 56-year-long occupation should recognise this fact unconditionally.

But we need to recapitulate.

Nation-states as National Homes