The rector of the Jerusalem hospice, Markus Bugnyar, warned of a “war of narratives” in the Holy Land. Anyone who is not directly affected, who does not live locally or who has lost someone in their circle of friends or relatives simply cannot imagine the suffering of people in the Holy Land. “Please, let us not think that we are informed and that we have become experts just because we follow the news every day. Images can be deceiving; many of them are even intentional. There is also a war of narratives, of public opinions,” writes Bugnyar in his Jerusalem New Year newsletter.
What concerns him deeply is the deep division that emerged between Israelis and Palestinians after the Hamas massacre on October 7: “Trust between Israelis and Palestinians, of which there were at least some remnants, has been fundamentally destroyed. than ever. A lot of broken pieces that will require all our efforts to put back together.” Hence his request: “Let us not fight proxy wars. You and I are neither Israelis nor Palestinians. Neither will you and I, getting yarmulkes and keffiyehs. Neither Israelis nor Palestinians will be helped if we reinforce existing prejudices where we appropriate them and repeat them. . Please, let's not do this.
At the same time, Bugnyar recalled that there are still more than a hundred Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas. “If you were released, quickly and unconditionally, the war in Gaza would end,” the hospice rector said with conviction. Ultimately, international pressure would continue to mount on the Israeli government to end the violence. “With the release of the hostages, the reason for the war no longer exists. Until then, there are two groups of Hamas hostages in Gaza: the Israeli civilian population and the Palestinian one.”
Source: Kathpress