What Is Happening?

Marek Edelman was born in Poland in 1922 and died in 2009. In 2001 he said: “Warsaw is my city. It is here that I learned Polish, Yiddish and German. It is here that at school, I learned one must always take care of others. It is also here that I was slapped in the face just because I was a Jew.” He was undoubtedly a hero; he was active in Jewish socialist groups and was one of the leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943.

After the 1939 invasion of Poland by the Nazi-led German forces, large numbers of Jewish people were forced to live in appalling conditions in what was called the Warsaw Ghetto. It is estimated that more than 400,000 Jews were imprisoned in a space about 3.4km2 (approximately twice the of Regents Park in London). This was surrounded by a 3m-high wall topped by barbed wire; rooms were packed with people; food supplies minimal; diseases rampant.

In summer 1942, the Nazi-led German forces deported 250,000 people from the Ghetto to Treblinka concentration camp where they were mass murdered in the gas chambers. Many of those who remained in the Ghetto decided to organise armed resistance to the occupying forces; this culminated in the Uprising of May 1943 which violently opposed the occupying forces attack on the Ghetto. Many thousands were killed as the Ghetto was destroyed – and the Uprising became a powerful inspiration for rebellion against overwhelming odds.

Edelman wrote afterwards: “We knew perfectly well that we had no chance of winning… It was easier to die fighting than in a gas chamber.” Essentially: if a person cannot choose how to live, at least that person can choose how to die. After the war, Edelman stayed in Poland; he spoke out against the Communist government and he was actively involved in dissident movements. He denounced racism, promoted human rights, strongly opposed antisemitism – and he was a lifelong anti-Zionist.

Zionism emerged in the late 19th century as a movement calling for a Jewish people’s homeland in Palestine. Following the enormous traumas and mass murders of the Holocaust in Europe, this aim came into being as the State of Israel in 1948. However, not all Jewish people are Zionists – such as Edelman. He called Zionism “a lost cause” and made connections with Palestinian leaders. In 2002, Edelman wrote to the Palestinian leadership: “We fought with hopeless determination, but our weapons were never directed against the defenceless civilian population, we never killed women and children.”

Amongst this mayhem, it is clear that one person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter. It is also clear that Israel is a fortress armed with nuclear weapons that is supported by the USA, the world’s most powerful military force. A commentator wrote: “If this really is ‘Israel’s 9/11’, does that mean we should expect a totally irrational and disproportionate response that ultimately makes things worse?”

Imagine what might have happened after the 9/11 attacks in the USA and the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October if these states – the USA and Israel – consciously paused; clearly stated how utterly horrific the attacks were in their devastation and the huge numbers of lives lost; publicly asked for peace-making efforts from around the world. And made significant efforts to build bridges rather than crushing countries, cultures and communities. Imagine the consequences of that instead of violent reactivity, there is thoughtful responsiveness.

If an eye for an eye is ruthlessly imposed, then eventually we all become blind. To be clear: being addicted to righteous absolutism leads to the destruction of many human lives. Horrific atrocities, collective punishments, mass imprisonments, huge bombardments, ethnic cleansings are not solutions; they are simply appalling strategies to maintain power and make those who have suffered dreadfully feel strong.

It definitely is possible to be strongly pro-Palestinian while being very deeply critical of Hamas; strongly supportive of Israeli people while being highly critical of its government’s policies. Killing of civilians, mass murder and collective punishment of a population are certainly not solutions. Undoubtedly, many cry “no compromise” and “they are all evil”. Such statements are a substantial cause of what is currently going on. Changing these cycles requires compassion, imagination and immense courage. Different ways are not easy; however, they are possible.

We simply cannot afford to give up, to surrender to the furies of fanaticism, to bury our heads in the sand. The easy possibilities are numbness and normalising these levels of violence. And it is true that navigating these complexities is incredibly challenging. However – in words from Naomi Klein (both Jewish and a long-term critic of Israel’s policies): “In Gaza and Israel, side with the child over the gun.”

Amidst all these bloodbaths, all these sorrows and suffering, it is blatantly clear that there is a great need for negotiations, dialogue and peace. Or else it will just go on and on. The failures of past negotiations and peace agreements does not mean one just gives up – it means continued learning from failed attempts. The Israeli philosopher Yuval Harari stated after the attacks: “2023 could enable fanatics on both sides to pursue their religious fantasies, and re-stage the 1948 war with a vengeance.” Harari has warned in the past about the dangers of “religious fanaticism…messianic zealots.” Following the Hamas attacks, the Middle Eastern commentator Hussein Ibish wrote: “In trying to fulfil the pledge to ‘eliminate Hamas’, Israel could well deliver everything that Hamas is counting on.”

We definitely can change. Shifts happen. We can see different sides of a situation. These are crucial learnings. I know that compromising requires vastly more courage than conflict and war. I also know that some say ancient hatreds are intractable and that there can never be peace. However, political solutions to massively challenging circumstances have happened. Two examples: Germany after World War Two and the Holocaust; Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland after nearly 30 years of conflict.

We need to deeply mourn the deaths of both Israeli and Palestinian people – indeed of all beings suffering in this particular conflict or anywhere in the world. We need to acknowledge how what is happening can be soul destroying. Part of the paths towards avoiding repetition is an aspiration to see as much of reality as possible, as many sides of this situation as we can.

Rather than capitulating to fundamentalism and intolerant extremism, a communal redoubling of creative and courageous efforts for peaceful strategies is most needed. We have to hope – and faith in hope is a good balance to fears and anxieties. We can wake up and cease acting out these appalling patterns. We can wake up and build a healthier world.

I hope for a world where we can co-exist and co-operatively thrive. Solidarity, cultivating connections, a humanism that celebrates diversities: these all can be positive steps. I am fully aware that some of this is a dream – but then what are the alternatives? Endless wars, ongoing military operations, continuing environmental degradation? I deeply believe that there are much better options than violence, oppression and bigotry…

Norman Blair
6 November 2023