FINDING ANSWERS

The slaughter of innocent children and other civilians had the world grieving for Israel as it coped with the shock of the Oct. 7 massacre perpetrated by Hamas terrorists.

Widespread condemnation of the treacherous attack reverberated across the globe as people fully understood why Israel has long been pursuing its foremost advocacy: its right to exist and to defend itself.

It’s easy to grasp why world public opinion solidified for Israel days after the bloodbath. More than the TV images of hapless civilians gunned down, stabbed to death, or kidnapped and taken hostage, the sight of Israeli children killed or injured was just too heart-wrenching for most people.

But now, it seems world opinion has shifted, with more people expressing empathy for Palestine and the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. Across many major cities around the world, marches and rallies in support of Palestinian people have sprouted.

The apparent shift in international sympathy has even prompted US Secretary Antony Blinken to say a few days ago that “it is striking and in some ways shocking that the brutality of the slaughter has receded so quickly in the memories of so many.”

Why many people are now sympathizing with Palestinians and calling for a ceasefire in the violent conflict is also easy to grasp: The horrific images of bloodied toddlers being pulled from the rubble of bombed residential buildings in Gaza and rushed into hospitals overflowing with casualties are just so heart-wrenching, too.

There’s no doubt that searing images of suffering children, Palestinian or Israeli, can tug at the heartstrings of the civilized world. At the risk of being deemed naïve, I dare say that seeing these bloodied children ought to strengthen efforts from both sides to seek peace.

Indeed, if only both sides really love their children more than they hate their enemies, peace might not be too far-fetched, and an end can be in sight for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has simmered for around 3,000 years.

There’s no doubt that the brutal murder by Hamas of some 1,400 civilian Israelis, many of them very young children, deserve a severe response by Israel, to a point that the terrorist group is eradicated or subdued decisively that it can never again do what in did last Oct. 7.

But Israel’s strategy for eradicating Hamas group may be making more terrorists than it is killing. The incessant Israeli air strikes in Gaza has reportedly resulted in more than 9,000 deaths of Palestinian civilians, a large number of them also children. It would be no surprise if surviving loved ones of the fatalities would seek revenge and resort to terrorism.
It’s understandable why Israel is bent on self-defense and retaliation for the Oct. 7 massacre. But is an all-out offense really the best defense? Is its response conscionable when around two million people not responsible for the earlier massacre are deprived of water, food, electricity, and other basic necessities?

There’s got to be a better way of eradicating Hamas. Until Oct. 7 happened, Israel used to have the best intelligence networks in the world with its vaunted Mossad and Shin bet. With its intelligence agencies, an undertaking similar to Operation Wrath of God that eliminated all those involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre could be mounted against Hamas.

To defeat or eliminate terror groups, security experts say it is necessary to conduct prolonged campaigns of “selected pressure” over a span of a few years whereby wedges are driven between terrorists and the local populations in which they operate.

And while efforts against terrorist groups are being undertaken, it is crucial that all efforts that might lead to lasting peace and harmonious co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians are pursued. The sense of humanity is critical in such efforts as it is a key to finding solutions.

With a sense of humanity, it is possible for the opposing sides to feel each other’s pain, as well as each other’s outrage and fears.

Former US President Barack Obama has a point when he said that the ongoing conflict “is taking place against the backdrop of decades of failure to achieve a durable peace for both Israelis and Palestinians, one that is based on genuine security for Israel, a recognition of its right to exist and a peace that is based on an end of the occupation and the creation of a viable state and self-determination for the Palestinian people.

With a sense of humanity prevailing on both sides of the conflict, it could be easier to find such “durable peace” that has been elusive since biblical times. ([email protected])