The horrors of war cannot be described strictly
from the aspect of pure physical suffering. How can you ever truly describe in
world the loss of a child due to a bomb strike or a parent as the result of
terrorism? Tragically, the people of Israel and Palestine have endured more
than sixty five years of warfare. The struggle for the control of Palestine
started long before the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. One of the saddest parts of this conflict is
that both sides have been the victims of injustices from outside of the region.
Centuries of foreign conquerors and political exploitation have brought misery
to Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze in this part of the world.
Israelis and Palestinians both are fighting for their
right to self-determination and security. The constant fear of an imminent
outbreak of fighting, children sleeping in safe shelters, parents unable to
work and support their families, and fearing for the safety of friends and
loved ones has been a way of life in this region for decades. Hopefully, this current round of talks will produce movement toward peace.
I was honored to be chosen by The Focolare, the largest
Catholic outreach movement in the world to write an Israeli perspective on the
recent fighting with Gaza.
This current round of fighting in the south
has been very depressing because of the fact that it had to happen. There has
been no political way of getting the Hamas terrorists to stop firing explosives
at our civilians.
This, tragically, has been the history of
life in Israel since the Jewish people returned to their ancestral homeland in
1948. Many of my friends and neighbors have fought in several wars. Many of
them spent their early childhood sleeping in bomb shelters.
I am particularly saddened by the fact that
I know many Palestinians through interfaith activities.
Hopefully by the time the fighting ends
there will be some important changes in our lives in both Israel and the
Palestinian territories. Most of us yearn for the day when the people who have
been enduring such rocket fire will be able to live normal lives. The missile attacks have spread from
the south to much of Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Citizens
throughout Israel live in
constant fear of missile and terrorist attacks.
Our friends and neighbors in the
Palestinian territories are suffering from our need to defend our right to
exist. We are all saddened by the deaths and injuries of everyone on both sides
of this battle.
We pray that a ground war be avoided.
However, no one knows which way this engagement will turn. We are bracing ourselves
for the worst, yet still hoping for the best.
Defeat in this region is not an option for
Jews. The greatest hope is for a political settlement. Peace treaties will
surely involve compromise. Peace will allow our children and grandchildren and
their grandchildren to live without
fear of being bombed. They will attend their schools safely, without the need
for air raid sirens and bomb shelters. We would rejoice to see our Palestinian
friends and neighbors live in
peace and dignity with us. I am convinced that most Jewish, Christian, Muslim
and Druze citizens in our region yearn for the fighting to end.
Until that day, we in Israel do not despair
of the situation, and we make the best of what has been, until now, a
satisfying and fulfilling life within the shadow and pain of the constant state
of military engagement with many enemies.
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