cupure logo
trumpplanslifesouthernpoliticsplanfamilyshapedacthate

This war of revenge has lasted two nightmare years. There’s only one hope for peace: Israel recognising Palestine | Raja Shehadeh

Donald Trump’s proposals are in play, but here in the West Bank we live in fear that the devastation of Gaza is coming our wayBeing an eternal optimist, I hoped that the events of 7 October 2023 – Hamas’s attack on southern Israel and breaking of the Israeli siege of Gaza – might precipitate a reappraisal of Israeli strategy towards the Palestinians. I hoped Israeli leaders would come to realise the futility of protecting their country by building walls, however impregnable.Instead, the attack did the opposite. It led to a war of revenge that has now lasted for close to two years, killing more than 65,000 Palestinians and causing the widespread devastation of Gaza, including destroying 92% of its residential buildings. Initially, I was shocked by this, and the dehumanisation of the people of Gaza which immediately came from Israeli leaders – Yoav Gallant, who was defence minister at the time of the attack, justified the war by declaring: “We are fighting human animals and are acting accordingly.”Raja Shehadeh is a Palestinian lawyer and writer, and founder of the human rights organisation Al-Haq. He is the author of What Does Israel Fear From Palestine? Continue reading...

Comments

Opinions