I hesitated to write this column because I have had a long-standing sensitivity to the Palestinian cause. However, the Hamas attack on October 7 shocked me deeply.
The terrorist organization massacred Israeli civilians, including infants, children and the elderly. These were innocent people who were liquidated to spread fear.
I could not explain why the Palestinians would not distance themselves from an attack that would set their cause back for at least the next decade. However, the Gaza bombings reminded me that they have been suffering from Israeli oppression for decades. They also experienced some massacres of their population, including in Sabra and Chatila.
The killings of thousands of Palestinian and Israeli civilians in recent days do not shock or encourage people to choose one side or the other, as some states and politicians would like. The Western world’s complacency toward Israel and the Arab world’s arrogance toward the Jewish state do not bode well for peace.
Defense and existence
The unconditional support of Israel by the United States is probably the main cause of a permanent powder keg in the Middle East.
The US government quickly responded to attacks against Israel by proclaiming its right to self-defense while remaining silent about the establishment of wild colonies in the West Bank and excessive restrictions in the Gaza Strip.
Zionism reigns at the highest levels of the Israeli government, without complaint from the West. It is the existence of the Palestinians that is at stake without us hearing the United States proclaim Palestine’s right to exist.
Israel is illegally occupying territory without complying with numerous UN resolutions calling on it to withdraw or end colonization.
The behavior of Israel and the United States cannot serve as an excuse for Hamas to commit atrocities, but it does allow us to understand the distress and resentment that animates the Palestinians.
If Jews have nowhere else to go but Israel to live in safety, so should Palestinians with their own state.
Live in peace
Although some claim that Israel is an illegal state, it is now a de facto state that will not disappear. The Arab world must recognize it on the basis of its original territory.
The international community must quickly help define the boundaries of a Palestinian state.
Wildcat colonies must be dismantled under pressure from the USA and its allies.
The demand for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace negotiations should be at the forefront of the Canadian government’s concerns.
Finally, we should not allow Israel to put international institutions under its thumb, as it wanted by demanding the resignation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and following the understanding he has shown towards the grievances of the Palestinians!
