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OPINION: A BLEAK SITUATION AND ITS FUTURE

Updated: Nov 19, 2023

As the conflict in Gaza rages on, families suffer needlessly and the world waits.


By Jake

19 November 2023


Thousands of people lie dead in Gaza, killed by IDF airstrikes in a bombing campaign that grows increasingly disproportionate by the day. In response to Hamas' strike on October 7 killing and kidnapping civilians, an embarrassed Netanyahu government is responding with overwhelming force, vowing to eradicate Hamas . Their strategy has split Gaza in two, telling civilians to head south or risk being seen as conspirators. As Egypt, Iran, and other international actors look on, it seems that the new status quo is a split Gaza Strip, with protracted fighting in the north and a desperate humanitarian crisis in the south, shrinking space and access to resources for an area already among one of the densest by human population on earth. Fighting may even move south with new IDF leaflets dropped telling Palestinians to flee.

The IDF strategy accomplishes nothing for any person nor the preservation of humanity’s shared history in the region. The regional peace deals in progress are scrapped, failures to uphold international law are broadcast in global news, and the Israeli people demand answers for the intelligence failure that didn’t prevent the tragedies of October 7th. Some analysts predict that Netanyahu knows he will eventually be removed from power due to the intelligence failure, and that knowledge leads to a lack of restraint in his military policy in the short term. The policy is short term and is likely radicalizing more to join militant groups against Israel in the years to come.

Chaos and contradiction reigns. The statements of Hamas leaders who celebrate violence against Jews and openly plan another October 7 are disgusting. Hamas leader’s families live in Doha suites and use money meant to help their people. Iran and the US use the conflict as a lever in regional power struggles, glossing over the daily loss of life. This is evidenced by President Biden questioning the death count in Gaza, despite independent and Israeli sources stating it is accurate. Egypt does not do enough to get the humanitarian supplies needed through the Rafah crossing. Peaceful protests in the rest of the world are infiltrated or entirely hijacked by bad actors justifying their pre-existing bigotry.

We at ONE deplore all violence against civilians as we uphold the vision of a peaceful future where all can share Jerusalem, as unlikely as it may seem right now. The events of these past weeks will be shared in history books and family tradition for generations: will those whose family members were killed and kidnapped be radicalized to continue the cycle of violence, or be reminded of a violent past that must never repeat. Hope may seem naive, but history proves its worth. Past seemingly-intractable situations in Northern Ireland and South Africa were resolved by those willing to hope and trust one another.



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