Thanks for the thoughtful essay. I am American-Jewish born and bred. I have also been politically active since I was an undergraduate student fighting against the Vietnam War. Why is this relevant?
Because, the Netanyahu government like most right wing governments who bait a war, to save their political power. I lived through the Tonkin Gulf Incident; the Bush enticement of Iraq to invade Kuwait; and W's invasion of Afghanistan after the Saudi's brought down the Twin Towers. Now Netanyahu looked the other way while HAMAS built tunnels (actually supporting them), and broke through the cyclone fence. As you know, the IDF took hours to travel the distance between NYC and Phillly (if that far) to meet the invasion.
The war is horrific but it has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with power.
It is a human tragedy but the "humans" in charge are interested only in preserving their power and staying out of prison.
These are solid points, Stanton. I have read similar claims, and they are unsettling. I also found the slow response time for on-the-ground support odd, and your theory about power feels more true than not. Admittedly, I don't know a ton about the Israeli government other than their most controversial policies. I have heard from Israeli friends that they think Netanyahu and his administration are corrupt, and that was a topic well before October 7th.
In my career as a 'turn around specialist' where I helped facilitate taking four different companies from troubled waters, three of those companies were owned by Jewish folk. I found them incredibly fair, compassionate, and deeply appreciative of my efforts to help out their businesses. All the effort was successful because I followed a simple plan. I found out what the company did best and helped them do more of it. The people I worked with, some were Orthodox Jews, taught me that these people lived their faith. To them 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth', did not mean if someone gets your eye you take out theirs. It meant that if you injure someone else's eye, you deserve to have yours injured. I do not agree with the collateral damage inflicted by this war, but I am a pacifist. I was raised Irish Franciscan Catholic. So I work for a Guy I call my Jewish Boss. After all, he was born a Jew, raised as a Jew, taught as a Jew, died and came back from the dead - as a Jew. Christians forget this. Excellent piece!!
Thanks, Clement! I enjoyed your anecdote, and I agree that the Jewish people live their faith deeply. It's one of the things that made me feel so drawn to Judaism at a young age. I also feel heartbroken by the collateral damage of this war. Human lives are precious, regardless of ethnicity or religion. I do understand the goal of taking out Hamas and other terrorist organizations, though. If their lifelong purpose is to eliminate the Jews and the State of Israel, that's not exactly something you can turn away from. Do I think this should be achieved with the least amount of civilian casualties possible? Yes, absolutely. Do I think Israel's safety, security, and right to exist is a priority? Yes, absolutely. These are challenging pieces to reconcile because they seem in opposition to one another, but I don't think they have to be.
I am a catholic of Italian paternal descent. My mother’s father was a Jew. My significant other is Jewish. When I was a teen we went to Israel, as tourists, twice. It was the decade after the six day war and military conflict seemed always close at hand. But then, so did religion. All types. I agree with your descriptions. Israel was a potpourri of many nations, colors and religions, and within Israel, seemingly living in peace. It sounds like little has changed within its borders. I’ve also been to Jordan, the West Bank and Egypt. What a contrast between this Jewish state and her Arab neighbors.
When I think of October 7, I think mainly of those women who were raped, brutally, then executed. The stories hung over me for days. The disbelief, not only of the barbarity, but the denials, even from my own country, of their happening was shocking. Their dark lonely endings stayed with me for months and even now, make me angry and heartbroken all over again.
I’m embarrassed that many Democrats, who have always been supported by American Jews, appeared and acted unsympathetic towards Israeli’s Jews. I think that Democrats in my country prefer to see victims act like victims. Israelis don’t, but would choose peace first. Always.
What average Americans don’t understand, is that Israel, progressive and thriving, is a tiny nation surrounded by a sea of larger antisemitic countries. Most of these nations brutalize women and treat them as chattel, Hamas being no exception. Women are possessions, probably values less than their horses. It troubles me that American women might empathize with countries who treat their Arab and Muslim sisters in this way.
I can’t blame Israel for finally having enough of innocent blood being shed over years’ long blood feuds, which make no sense and have no ending.
Hi Madonna! Thank you for the thoughtful comment. I loved this part especially, "I think that Democrats in my country prefer to see victims act like victims." I agree with this, and it has me curious about why. I believe it keeps people subdued and distracted. It's hard to bring about sustainable change if you're focused on an enemy to takedown. It's an energy drain on our most precious resource, our attention.
There is that rape lie again! As an infantryman who has seen combat in Vietnam, I know that the shock of battle destroys sexual desire on the battlefield. Do a fact check and you will find that this has been disproven.
What civilians don’t know is that rapes do occur in war, but never in the heat of battle, especially of such high intensity. For instance, in WWII, thousands of German women were raped in the Russian capture of Berlin but not by the attacking troops; the following troop waves after the battle were the offenders.
When Hamas fighters beached the border on Oct 7, I am sure that every one of them thought that it was the last day of their lives and the only women that they were thinking of were their mothers!
Hi John, your aggressive comments will not be tolerated in my space. This is a warning. You are welcome to post all of your opinions on your own Substack page but my page is a space for compassion and building bridges across fluid identities.
As a paid member of Free Black Thought, should I not have the right to comment on any postings on this site?
I reread the opening line of my reply and admit that it was a bit harsh, but it was not my intent to cause grief since you remind me of my bright granddaughter. It was to inform you that the rape charge was a propaganda fiction that had been disproved.
When I first read of those rape claims in the New York Times article “Screams Without Words…” by Jeffrey Gettleman, Anat Schwartz, and Adam Sella, in December of last year, with my understanding that combat renders males temporarily erectile dysfunctional during battlefield engagements, I immedicably wrote the editor about my concern. Of course, I got no answer, but I was not the only challenger.
Nothing is more dismissive of this charge than the fact that released female Israeli hostages were not violated. And the current reports of raped Palestinian prisoners present a counter-narrative.
And I don’t see supporting an inhuman colonialist occupation as the enlightenment of building bridges since it’s the current intent of the Israelis to eliminate all Palestinians from Palestine. It does remind me of the history of the American Indian.
Do take care and continue to write, for you write well.
I haven't seen an official disproving of the rape allegations. I do hear your point that war is not an erotic space for some people, and I think it's a valid consideration. Personally, I have not found in my research that no rape of any sort occurred, even if the women released did not have that experience. It's also important to note that historically, rape victims have not always spoken up. I could understand if some of the female hostages released were assaulted but are not ready to speak about it publicly and may never be. As someone who has not been directly involved in a war, neither as active military personnel nor as a person experiencing a war within their country, I have limited personal experience. Most of my essay speaks to my personal experience because that is what I can share with total certainty. I also don't see Israel as a colonial occupation since my research has proven them as an indigenous population of that land. I don't think Israelis want to eliminate all Palestinians from Palestine, though my personal Israeli friends would like to see Hamas eliminated. Those are not same same for me. While we don't see eye to eye on this, I do appreciate your thoughts. Also, thank you for your service.
How has John been aggressive? He has respectfully disagreed.
A UN report, moreover, concluded that there had been 3 rapes committed on October 7th. Another UN report concluded that, at least until summer, there had been 2 rapes committed against Palestinian women by Israeli soldiers (this does not count the rapes and aggressions against Palestinian prisoners, registered by the Israeli rights group B'Tselem.
The accusation of the rape allegations being lies felt aggressive, and it's not the sort of space I want to cultivate with my writing. That being said, free speech is free speech, and I can choose to engage or not. I've seen the UN reports, but I a) don't totally trust that source and b) don't want to play the tit-for-tat game of this many Israelis were raped versus this many Palestinians. I don't think it's a constructive use of energy when the bottom line is that raping civilians to assert power and control is not something I agree with, regardless of who the perpetrator may be.
I hear what you're saying from a beautiful heart and experience. Judaism is a beautiful faith, and it is absolutely wrong to categorize all Jews all over the world as any one thing. However, I also think it's important to separate "the jewish people" from "the Israeli government." The latter is a political body, run by Netanyahu, and do not represent all of Judaism. You mentioned that Israel keeps giving civilians warning before attacking, as a 'courtesy.' But were you aware that, on multiple occasions, Israeli forces have targeted the very attack routes they told civilians to use? There are countless examples of Israeli forces deliberately targeting civilians, schools, hospitals, journalists. Does that really seem like self-defense to you?
What's more, this war did not start on October 7th. That day was tragic and I won't say otherwise. But it is also true that Israel has been attacking Palestine for decades before that. You mention the hostages -- and I hope they all come home safely. But were you aware that Israel holds hundreds of Palestinian hostages, many of them children, with no charges?
Your experience with the Jewish faith and community is a beautiful one. But it has little bearing on whether or not Netanyahu has honorable intentions. He does not. His language, his team, and his actions show time and time again he wants to kill as many Palestinians as possible. Many Jewish people in fact are against him and protest him using their faith as an excuse for his war crimes. It is possible to support Judaism and also oppose the crimes of the Israeli government, and in fact we all need to do both.
Hi Heather! You raised a necessary distinction between the Jewish people and the Israeli government. Thank you for highlighting that. Many of my Israeli friends and most of my Jewish friends from America, Europe, and beyond are not fans of Netanyahu, the same way that I'm not a fan of every President we've had in America. That being said, they have chosen to back him during this crisis because their country's safety and security are on the line. I'm not saying it's right, but I do see where they're coming from. As I've shared in previous comment responses, I have limited knowledge of the inner workings of the Israeli government, and I have no direct experience with war. These are areas in which I'm fully aware of my limitations. It's also why I aimed to keep my article more focused on personal experiences because I can share those with unwavering certainty. I can't speak to Netanyahu's truest intentions, but I can say that the many people I know formerly and actively in the IDF are not bloodthirsty. They were not excited about war or taking lives or civilian casualties. From that perspective, I don't believe that Israelis are looking to eliminate Palestinians. To your point, I think it's fair to say that the Israeli government might be. This war did not start on October 7th, and there has been conflict over the land since its inception. My perspective is that Israel has been protecting itself from terrorist organizations whose entire existence revolves around the extinction of Jews. That is something I rarely hear talked about unless it's by advocates for Israel. And I wonder why that is, why the majority of the world isn't more concerned with that being a common goal among these terrorist organizations that are being reframed as "freedom fighters?" It's almost like that threat isn't being taken seriously, even though we have already seen a major event where millions of Jews were brutally murdered in our lifetime. I can't fully wrap my mind around that part. I definitely agree with your final point, that it's possible to support the Jewish people and the State of Israel having a right to exist without excusing war crimes. I am not aware of instances where Israeli forces targeted the very attack routes they told civilians to use, but it is something I will look into. Thanks for reading and sharing some new insights.
I am in serious disagreement that the killings of 1,200 Israelis on October 7 were the actual genocide, not the following vengeful slaughter of Gazans, which violated just about every international law on the books and all aspects of morality.
At my last causality check, 97,000 Gazans are wounded without proper medical care, and 42,000 are dead, of which 16,700 are children and 9,500 are women. To top that off, the entire Gazan population is homeless due to the destruction of about all buildings, 80 percent of all schools, 100 percent of all universities, 100 percent of the 610 mosques, and the destruction of 33 of 37 hospitals and any facilities needed for human survival. And the killings and destruction continue daily.
Oct 7 was a break-out from an open-air concentration camp where Palestinians lived without the least of human rights and the barest necessities of life. Anyone who reads “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” by Ilan Pappe can see how the Palestinians got to Gaza, pushed from their homes in Israel through waves of death and destruction starting in 1948 at the Nakba.
After reading this book, it is easy to understand why Norman Finkelstein likened the October 7 attack to the Nat Turner slave rebellion. Dreadful occupations can breed the same rage and have relevant eruptions.
As a black American born in 1945 in the American South, I lived considerably better than those in Gaza pre-Oct 7, and I have heard the same comments from South Africans about Apartheid. And, having fought as an infantryman in the Vietnam War, I know that you don’t conduct insurgencies by dropping 2,000-pound bombs and white phosphorus munitions on masses of civilians. If that is your battlefield doctrine, then it is obvious that your intent is genocidal.
When my unit made contact inside villages, we could not call in artillery or air strikes and had to rely on helicopter gunships for precision targeting to avoid civilian deaths. My unit had to do the job the hard way by taking casualties while searching in the hooches, trenches, tunnels, and bunkers to get each enemy combatant with as few collateral deaths as possible.
But the IDF’s target is the people. They use the Dahiya doctrine as their battlefield book, meaning the intent is to kill as many civilians as possible and destroy as much of their means of livelihood as possible to submit to the enemy to compliance.
In his book “Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy,” Max Hasting confirms the Air Force’s attitude to civilian deaths as overlying that of the Army when I was in Vietnam. Here, pilots were restricted to bombing specific targets: railways, bridges, and certain industrial sites, with a strict avoidance of civilian areas. Hastings writes of the frustrations of pilots having to fly past anti-air missile sites due to them being in residential areas.
However, the IDF does not have this problem; the more civilian deaths there are, the better. Thus, not to see this as genocide blows my mind!
After rereading your comment, I will say I don't agree with most of your points. I do agree that those civilian numbers are startling and disturbing and could likely be minimized. As another commenter pointed out, there is an important distinction between the Jewish people and the Israeli government. My main point in writing this piece is that much of the world has taken the unfolding of this war and used it to blame Jews and Israeli citizens for what is happening. Many of them have no regard for the Jewish lives lost or what the victims of the October 7th attack have endured. Antisemitism and violent attacks towards Jewish people in America and the UK are at an all-time high, too. I have friends who have been bullied, jumped, and verbally and emotionally abused on the streets of NY, LA, and London in broad daylight. It reminds me of stories I've heard about the Deep South during the Jim Crow era, where your life was at risk simply for being black in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is the piece I find most disheartening. I don't think the Israeli government is anywhere near perfect, but I do think Israel has a right to exist and that their people and their liberties should be protected. Right now, they are being actively threatened. This threat has resulted in the loss of civilian lives. None of it is right or ok, and neither is using these events as a foundation for excusing prejudice towards the Jewish people.
Israel is a powerful state under the protection of the US that, too often, pushes the interests of Israel ahead of our own. Its existence cannot be questioned since it is enshrined under international law.
However, do the Palestinians have a right to exist and to have their homeland? Do they have the right to live free of occupation? And I don’t want to hear that they have refused peace offers, for those were rip-offs. Since every other soul in the world has a plot of Earth as their own, how did it come to be that there is a group of people on the planet without a nation-state?
I have been reading the new Jewish historians that appeared on the academic stage in the mid-80s to explode the myth of the David victim surrounded by monsters that are there to destroy Israel. Still, instead, it has been the Goliath that ethnically cleansed Palestine of Palestinians. In 1948, 800,000 Arabs were pushed off into the surrounding Arab states, with the remaining ones placed under occupation in the West Bank or Gaza.
I am speaking of authors Ilan Pappe, Norman Finkelstein, Avi Shlaim, Benny Morris, and Max Blumenthal, a newcomer.
I grew up under Jim Crow and am aware that if not for Jewish money and the Jewish press, Dr. King would have been just another unknown Southern preacher. I am indebted to Jews for getting us to the Promised Land; thus, you are not getting anti-Semitism from me but anti-Zionism in the form that I picked up from the Jewish authors I mentioned.
That may be our fundamental disagreement, as I am a Zionist. Zionism, in its purest form, is the belief that Jews should have their own nation, just like any other nationality. As of now, that nation is the State of Israel. I believe Israel has a right to exist, which does not mean I have to agree with all of its specific policies. Nonetheless, I respect your opinion and that it’s different. I’ve read work from two of the authors you’ve cited and while I don’t agree with their perspective I found it insightful. In case it’s of interest to you, Noa Tishby has a great book called “Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth.” She also has a second newer book out but I have not read it yet. Thanks for the intellectual sparring!
I totally hear you, and I disagree. As stated early on in my essay, likely the only part you read up to, I am not interested in convincing anyone of anything. I am also not one to have my opinion easily swayed by long-winded comments with emotional retorts. I said what I said, and you can take it or leave it.
Interestingly enough, I have two friends who made Aliyah and moved to Israel during the heat of this war. They are British Jews from the UK, and their lives have improved since they relocated.
Hi Noelle! Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Knowing my writing inspired you to create a Substack profile warms my heart! Thank you for making the effort, and I hope you continue to enjoy the posts and discussions here.
Thank you all for the thoughtful comments and engagement! I will be posting individual responses to them over the next few days.
Thanks for the thoughtful essay. I am American-Jewish born and bred. I have also been politically active since I was an undergraduate student fighting against the Vietnam War. Why is this relevant?
Because, the Netanyahu government like most right wing governments who bait a war, to save their political power. I lived through the Tonkin Gulf Incident; the Bush enticement of Iraq to invade Kuwait; and W's invasion of Afghanistan after the Saudi's brought down the Twin Towers. Now Netanyahu looked the other way while HAMAS built tunnels (actually supporting them), and broke through the cyclone fence. As you know, the IDF took hours to travel the distance between NYC and Phillly (if that far) to meet the invasion.
The war is horrific but it has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with power.
It is a human tragedy but the "humans" in charge are interested only in preserving their power and staying out of prison.
Stanton Green, PhD
Professor Emeritus
These are solid points, Stanton. I have read similar claims, and they are unsettling. I also found the slow response time for on-the-ground support odd, and your theory about power feels more true than not. Admittedly, I don't know a ton about the Israeli government other than their most controversial policies. I have heard from Israeli friends that they think Netanyahu and his administration are corrupt, and that was a topic well before October 7th.
Such a great story Marissa shared with us on a day we need it the most. Thank you.
Thank you for reading! My goal was to share a message of compassion and love towards Israel and its people.
Thank you for this empathetic writing.
Thank you for taking the time to read it.
In my career as a 'turn around specialist' where I helped facilitate taking four different companies from troubled waters, three of those companies were owned by Jewish folk. I found them incredibly fair, compassionate, and deeply appreciative of my efforts to help out their businesses. All the effort was successful because I followed a simple plan. I found out what the company did best and helped them do more of it. The people I worked with, some were Orthodox Jews, taught me that these people lived their faith. To them 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth', did not mean if someone gets your eye you take out theirs. It meant that if you injure someone else's eye, you deserve to have yours injured. I do not agree with the collateral damage inflicted by this war, but I am a pacifist. I was raised Irish Franciscan Catholic. So I work for a Guy I call my Jewish Boss. After all, he was born a Jew, raised as a Jew, taught as a Jew, died and came back from the dead - as a Jew. Christians forget this. Excellent piece!!
Thanks, Clement! I enjoyed your anecdote, and I agree that the Jewish people live their faith deeply. It's one of the things that made me feel so drawn to Judaism at a young age. I also feel heartbroken by the collateral damage of this war. Human lives are precious, regardless of ethnicity or religion. I do understand the goal of taking out Hamas and other terrorist organizations, though. If their lifelong purpose is to eliminate the Jews and the State of Israel, that's not exactly something you can turn away from. Do I think this should be achieved with the least amount of civilian casualties possible? Yes, absolutely. Do I think Israel's safety, security, and right to exist is a priority? Yes, absolutely. These are challenging pieces to reconcile because they seem in opposition to one another, but I don't think they have to be.
🩷
שלום נשמה מתוקה, תודה שקראת
Everyone wants to be seen, fully seen. Thanks for this love letter to the universe.
Thanks for reading, Wink!
Such a beautiful essay! Thank you, Marissa!
Thank you for taking the time to read and contribute to the comments.
Luke 10: 25-37
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,
“A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
I am a catholic of Italian paternal descent. My mother’s father was a Jew. My significant other is Jewish. When I was a teen we went to Israel, as tourists, twice. It was the decade after the six day war and military conflict seemed always close at hand. But then, so did religion. All types. I agree with your descriptions. Israel was a potpourri of many nations, colors and religions, and within Israel, seemingly living in peace. It sounds like little has changed within its borders. I’ve also been to Jordan, the West Bank and Egypt. What a contrast between this Jewish state and her Arab neighbors.
When I think of October 7, I think mainly of those women who were raped, brutally, then executed. The stories hung over me for days. The disbelief, not only of the barbarity, but the denials, even from my own country, of their happening was shocking. Their dark lonely endings stayed with me for months and even now, make me angry and heartbroken all over again.
I’m embarrassed that many Democrats, who have always been supported by American Jews, appeared and acted unsympathetic towards Israeli’s Jews. I think that Democrats in my country prefer to see victims act like victims. Israelis don’t, but would choose peace first. Always.
What average Americans don’t understand, is that Israel, progressive and thriving, is a tiny nation surrounded by a sea of larger antisemitic countries. Most of these nations brutalize women and treat them as chattel, Hamas being no exception. Women are possessions, probably values less than their horses. It troubles me that American women might empathize with countries who treat their Arab and Muslim sisters in this way.
I can’t blame Israel for finally having enough of innocent blood being shed over years’ long blood feuds, which make no sense and have no ending.
Hi Madonna! Thank you for the thoughtful comment. I loved this part especially, "I think that Democrats in my country prefer to see victims act like victims." I agree with this, and it has me curious about why. I believe it keeps people subdued and distracted. It's hard to bring about sustainable change if you're focused on an enemy to takedown. It's an energy drain on our most precious resource, our attention.
There is that rape lie again! As an infantryman who has seen combat in Vietnam, I know that the shock of battle destroys sexual desire on the battlefield. Do a fact check and you will find that this has been disproven.
What civilians don’t know is that rapes do occur in war, but never in the heat of battle, especially of such high intensity. For instance, in WWII, thousands of German women were raped in the Russian capture of Berlin but not by the attacking troops; the following troop waves after the battle were the offenders.
When Hamas fighters beached the border on Oct 7, I am sure that every one of them thought that it was the last day of their lives and the only women that they were thinking of were their mothers!
Hi John, your aggressive comments will not be tolerated in my space. This is a warning. You are welcome to post all of your opinions on your own Substack page but my page is a space for compassion and building bridges across fluid identities.
As a paid member of Free Black Thought, should I not have the right to comment on any postings on this site?
I reread the opening line of my reply and admit that it was a bit harsh, but it was not my intent to cause grief since you remind me of my bright granddaughter. It was to inform you that the rape charge was a propaganda fiction that had been disproved.
When I first read of those rape claims in the New York Times article “Screams Without Words…” by Jeffrey Gettleman, Anat Schwartz, and Adam Sella, in December of last year, with my understanding that combat renders males temporarily erectile dysfunctional during battlefield engagements, I immedicably wrote the editor about my concern. Of course, I got no answer, but I was not the only challenger.
Reproaches flowed from everywhere, and I was later satisfied when I heard follow-up research debunking the article. You can easily verify this by a quick internet search. I have included one here: https://thegrayzone.com/2024/01/10/questions-nyt-hamas-rape-report/
Nothing is more dismissive of this charge than the fact that released female Israeli hostages were not violated. And the current reports of raped Palestinian prisoners present a counter-narrative.
And I don’t see supporting an inhuman colonialist occupation as the enlightenment of building bridges since it’s the current intent of the Israelis to eliminate all Palestinians from Palestine. It does remind me of the history of the American Indian.
Do take care and continue to write, for you write well.
I haven't seen an official disproving of the rape allegations. I do hear your point that war is not an erotic space for some people, and I think it's a valid consideration. Personally, I have not found in my research that no rape of any sort occurred, even if the women released did not have that experience. It's also important to note that historically, rape victims have not always spoken up. I could understand if some of the female hostages released were assaulted but are not ready to speak about it publicly and may never be. As someone who has not been directly involved in a war, neither as active military personnel nor as a person experiencing a war within their country, I have limited personal experience. Most of my essay speaks to my personal experience because that is what I can share with total certainty. I also don't see Israel as a colonial occupation since my research has proven them as an indigenous population of that land. I don't think Israelis want to eliminate all Palestinians from Palestine, though my personal Israeli friends would like to see Hamas eliminated. Those are not same same for me. While we don't see eye to eye on this, I do appreciate your thoughts. Also, thank you for your service.
How has John been aggressive? He has respectfully disagreed.
A UN report, moreover, concluded that there had been 3 rapes committed on October 7th. Another UN report concluded that, at least until summer, there had been 2 rapes committed against Palestinian women by Israeli soldiers (this does not count the rapes and aggressions against Palestinian prisoners, registered by the Israeli rights group B'Tselem.
The accusation of the rape allegations being lies felt aggressive, and it's not the sort of space I want to cultivate with my writing. That being said, free speech is free speech, and I can choose to engage or not. I've seen the UN reports, but I a) don't totally trust that source and b) don't want to play the tit-for-tat game of this many Israelis were raped versus this many Palestinians. I don't think it's a constructive use of energy when the bottom line is that raping civilians to assert power and control is not something I agree with, regardless of who the perpetrator may be.
I hear what you're saying from a beautiful heart and experience. Judaism is a beautiful faith, and it is absolutely wrong to categorize all Jews all over the world as any one thing. However, I also think it's important to separate "the jewish people" from "the Israeli government." The latter is a political body, run by Netanyahu, and do not represent all of Judaism. You mentioned that Israel keeps giving civilians warning before attacking, as a 'courtesy.' But were you aware that, on multiple occasions, Israeli forces have targeted the very attack routes they told civilians to use? There are countless examples of Israeli forces deliberately targeting civilians, schools, hospitals, journalists. Does that really seem like self-defense to you?
What's more, this war did not start on October 7th. That day was tragic and I won't say otherwise. But it is also true that Israel has been attacking Palestine for decades before that. You mention the hostages -- and I hope they all come home safely. But were you aware that Israel holds hundreds of Palestinian hostages, many of them children, with no charges?
Your experience with the Jewish faith and community is a beautiful one. But it has little bearing on whether or not Netanyahu has honorable intentions. He does not. His language, his team, and his actions show time and time again he wants to kill as many Palestinians as possible. Many Jewish people in fact are against him and protest him using their faith as an excuse for his war crimes. It is possible to support Judaism and also oppose the crimes of the Israeli government, and in fact we all need to do both.
Hi Heather! You raised a necessary distinction between the Jewish people and the Israeli government. Thank you for highlighting that. Many of my Israeli friends and most of my Jewish friends from America, Europe, and beyond are not fans of Netanyahu, the same way that I'm not a fan of every President we've had in America. That being said, they have chosen to back him during this crisis because their country's safety and security are on the line. I'm not saying it's right, but I do see where they're coming from. As I've shared in previous comment responses, I have limited knowledge of the inner workings of the Israeli government, and I have no direct experience with war. These are areas in which I'm fully aware of my limitations. It's also why I aimed to keep my article more focused on personal experiences because I can share those with unwavering certainty. I can't speak to Netanyahu's truest intentions, but I can say that the many people I know formerly and actively in the IDF are not bloodthirsty. They were not excited about war or taking lives or civilian casualties. From that perspective, I don't believe that Israelis are looking to eliminate Palestinians. To your point, I think it's fair to say that the Israeli government might be. This war did not start on October 7th, and there has been conflict over the land since its inception. My perspective is that Israel has been protecting itself from terrorist organizations whose entire existence revolves around the extinction of Jews. That is something I rarely hear talked about unless it's by advocates for Israel. And I wonder why that is, why the majority of the world isn't more concerned with that being a common goal among these terrorist organizations that are being reframed as "freedom fighters?" It's almost like that threat isn't being taken seriously, even though we have already seen a major event where millions of Jews were brutally murdered in our lifetime. I can't fully wrap my mind around that part. I definitely agree with your final point, that it's possible to support the Jewish people and the State of Israel having a right to exist without excusing war crimes. I am not aware of instances where Israeli forces targeted the very attack routes they told civilians to use, but it is something I will look into. Thanks for reading and sharing some new insights.
I am in serious disagreement that the killings of 1,200 Israelis on October 7 were the actual genocide, not the following vengeful slaughter of Gazans, which violated just about every international law on the books and all aspects of morality.
At my last causality check, 97,000 Gazans are wounded without proper medical care, and 42,000 are dead, of which 16,700 are children and 9,500 are women. To top that off, the entire Gazan population is homeless due to the destruction of about all buildings, 80 percent of all schools, 100 percent of all universities, 100 percent of the 610 mosques, and the destruction of 33 of 37 hospitals and any facilities needed for human survival. And the killings and destruction continue daily.
Oct 7 was a break-out from an open-air concentration camp where Palestinians lived without the least of human rights and the barest necessities of life. Anyone who reads “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” by Ilan Pappe can see how the Palestinians got to Gaza, pushed from their homes in Israel through waves of death and destruction starting in 1948 at the Nakba.
After reading this book, it is easy to understand why Norman Finkelstein likened the October 7 attack to the Nat Turner slave rebellion. Dreadful occupations can breed the same rage and have relevant eruptions.
As a black American born in 1945 in the American South, I lived considerably better than those in Gaza pre-Oct 7, and I have heard the same comments from South Africans about Apartheid. And, having fought as an infantryman in the Vietnam War, I know that you don’t conduct insurgencies by dropping 2,000-pound bombs and white phosphorus munitions on masses of civilians. If that is your battlefield doctrine, then it is obvious that your intent is genocidal.
When my unit made contact inside villages, we could not call in artillery or air strikes and had to rely on helicopter gunships for precision targeting to avoid civilian deaths. My unit had to do the job the hard way by taking casualties while searching in the hooches, trenches, tunnels, and bunkers to get each enemy combatant with as few collateral deaths as possible.
But the IDF’s target is the people. They use the Dahiya doctrine as their battlefield book, meaning the intent is to kill as many civilians as possible and destroy as much of their means of livelihood as possible to submit to the enemy to compliance.
In his book “Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy,” Max Hasting confirms the Air Force’s attitude to civilian deaths as overlying that of the Army when I was in Vietnam. Here, pilots were restricted to bombing specific targets: railways, bridges, and certain industrial sites, with a strict avoidance of civilian areas. Hastings writes of the frustrations of pilots having to fly past anti-air missile sites due to them being in residential areas.
However, the IDF does not have this problem; the more civilian deaths there are, the better. Thus, not to see this as genocide blows my mind!
After rereading your comment, I will say I don't agree with most of your points. I do agree that those civilian numbers are startling and disturbing and could likely be minimized. As another commenter pointed out, there is an important distinction between the Jewish people and the Israeli government. My main point in writing this piece is that much of the world has taken the unfolding of this war and used it to blame Jews and Israeli citizens for what is happening. Many of them have no regard for the Jewish lives lost or what the victims of the October 7th attack have endured. Antisemitism and violent attacks towards Jewish people in America and the UK are at an all-time high, too. I have friends who have been bullied, jumped, and verbally and emotionally abused on the streets of NY, LA, and London in broad daylight. It reminds me of stories I've heard about the Deep South during the Jim Crow era, where your life was at risk simply for being black in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is the piece I find most disheartening. I don't think the Israeli government is anywhere near perfect, but I do think Israel has a right to exist and that their people and their liberties should be protected. Right now, they are being actively threatened. This threat has resulted in the loss of civilian lives. None of it is right or ok, and neither is using these events as a foundation for excusing prejudice towards the Jewish people.
Israel is a powerful state under the protection of the US that, too often, pushes the interests of Israel ahead of our own. Its existence cannot be questioned since it is enshrined under international law.
However, do the Palestinians have a right to exist and to have their homeland? Do they have the right to live free of occupation? And I don’t want to hear that they have refused peace offers, for those were rip-offs. Since every other soul in the world has a plot of Earth as their own, how did it come to be that there is a group of people on the planet without a nation-state?
I have been reading the new Jewish historians that appeared on the academic stage in the mid-80s to explode the myth of the David victim surrounded by monsters that are there to destroy Israel. Still, instead, it has been the Goliath that ethnically cleansed Palestine of Palestinians. In 1948, 800,000 Arabs were pushed off into the surrounding Arab states, with the remaining ones placed under occupation in the West Bank or Gaza.
I am speaking of authors Ilan Pappe, Norman Finkelstein, Avi Shlaim, Benny Morris, and Max Blumenthal, a newcomer.
I grew up under Jim Crow and am aware that if not for Jewish money and the Jewish press, Dr. King would have been just another unknown Southern preacher. I am indebted to Jews for getting us to the Promised Land; thus, you are not getting anti-Semitism from me but anti-Zionism in the form that I picked up from the Jewish authors I mentioned.
Take care.
That may be our fundamental disagreement, as I am a Zionist. Zionism, in its purest form, is the belief that Jews should have their own nation, just like any other nationality. As of now, that nation is the State of Israel. I believe Israel has a right to exist, which does not mean I have to agree with all of its specific policies. Nonetheless, I respect your opinion and that it’s different. I’ve read work from two of the authors you’ve cited and while I don’t agree with their perspective I found it insightful. In case it’s of interest to you, Noa Tishby has a great book called “Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth.” She also has a second newer book out but I have not read it yet. Thanks for the intellectual sparring!
I totally hear you, and I disagree. As stated early on in my essay, likely the only part you read up to, I am not interested in convincing anyone of anything. I am also not one to have my opinion easily swayed by long-winded comments with emotional retorts. I said what I said, and you can take it or leave it.
Since Israel is such an amazing country (God's chosen people), perhaps all Jews would be better off if they moved there - I know I would.
Interestingly enough, I have two friends who made Aliyah and moved to Israel during the heat of this war. They are British Jews from the UK, and their lives have improved since they relocated.
Why would you be better off?
Hi Noelle! Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Knowing my writing inspired you to create a Substack profile warms my heart! Thank you for making the effort, and I hope you continue to enjoy the posts and discussions here.