The current events in Israel and Gaza have shocked us all deeply. There is no justification for Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attacks against civilians, including children and babies. We must recognize this fact and pause. But the next step is of course the question: what now? Do we surrender to this terrible violence and let our search for peace “die” or do we continue to insist that there must and can be peace?
I am convinced that we must move on and that we must keep in mind the larger context of the conflict. Our musicians at the West-Eastern Divan, our students at the Barenboim-Said Academy, almost all of them are directly affected. Many of the musicians live in the region, and the others also have close ties to their homeland. This strengthens my belief that there can only be one solution to this conflict: on the basis of humanism, justice and equality and without armed force or occupation.
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Our message of peace must be stronger than ever. The greatest danger is that all the people who long for peace so much will drown in extremists and violence. But every analysis, every moral equation we can construct must be based on this basic understanding: There are people on both sides. Humanity is universal and recognizing this truth on both sides is the only way. The suffering of innocent people on both sides is absolutely unbearable.
Israeli troops gather at an undisclosed point along the Gaza Strip border on October 14. ATEF SAFADI (EFE)
The images of Hamas’ devastating terrorist attacks break our hearts. Our reaction shows this clearly: the will to empathize, the willingness to put yourself in the shoes of others, is essential. Of course, we also need to leave room for fear, despair and anger right now, but the moment this leads us to deny the humanity of others, we are doomed. Every person can change things and make a difference. This is how we change in small ways. Broadly speaking, it depends on politics.
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We need to offer other perspectives to those drawn to extremism. After all, these are mostly completely hopeless and desperate people who give themselves over to murderous or extremist ideologies and find a home there. Education and information are equally important because there are many positions that are based on absolute misinformation.
To be clear again: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not a political conflict between two states over borders, water, oil or other resources. It is a deeply human conflict between two peoples who have experienced suffering and persecution. The persecution of the Jewish people over 20 centuries culminated in the Nazi ideology, which murdered six million Jews. The Jewish people had a dream: their own country, a home for all Jews in what is now Palestine. But from this dream a deeply problematic, fundamentally false assumption was derived: a country without a people for a people without a country. In reality, the Jewish population of Palestine during the First World War was only 9%. Therefore, 91% of the population were not Jews, but Palestinians who had been cultivated for centuries. The country could hardly be described as a “land without people” and the Palestinian population saw no reason to give up their own land. The conflict was therefore inevitable, and since its beginning the fronts have only hardened over the generations. I am convinced that the Israelis will have security if the Palestinians can feel hope, i.e. justice. Both sides must recognize their enemies as people and try to empathize with their perspective, their pain and their fear. The Israelis must also accept that the occupation of Palestine is incompatible with this.
Daniel Barenboim takes the stage with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Berlin on August 19th. Gerald Matzka (dpa / picture Alliance / Getty)
The key experience: my friendship with Edward Said
My friendship with Edward Said is the key experience for my understanding of this 70-year-old conflict. In each other we have found a counterpart who can take us further and help us to see the supposed other more clearly and to understand him better. We recognized and found each other in our common humanity. For me, our joint work with the West-Eastern Divan, which finds its logical continuation and perhaps even its climax in the Barenboim-Said Academy, is probably the most important activity of my life.
In the current situation, we naturally ask ourselves how important our joint work in the orchestra and the academy is. It may seem like a small thing, but the mere fact that Arab and Israeli musicians stand together on the podium at every concert and make music together has immense value for us. Through this common way of making music, but also through our countless and sometimes heated discussions, we have learned over the years to better understand the supposed other, to approach them and to find common ground in our humanity and in music. We begin and end all discussions, no matter how controversial, with the fundamental understanding that we are all equal human beings who deserve peace, freedom and happiness. That may sound naive, but it is not: because this understanding seems to be completely lost in today’s conflict on both sides.
Our experience shows that this message has reached many people in the region and around the world. We must, we want and we will continue to believe that music can bring us closer to our humanity.
Daniel Barenboim He is a Spanish-Argentinian pianist and conductor, and he also has dual Israeli and Palestinian nationality.
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